


The Return Home

by HappyCat14



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Complicated Relationships, Depressed Harry, Dimension Travel, F/M, Fleamont Potter is alive, POV Ginny Weasley, Politics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Ron Weasley Being an Asshole, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-07-17 06:26:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16089920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyCat14/pseuds/HappyCat14
Summary: It was time.Harry stepped out into the open, breathing in to allow the scent of the forest to calm any nerves he had left. The sky appeared grey in these twilight hours, which he supposed was appropriate for the situation. A dark, but gentle, situation that made Harry feel both serene and frightened at the same time. Nagini was dead, thanks to Neville, and now one curse will win this war.Harry just needed to die first.But magic is complicated. Very complicated. So it shouldn't come as a surprise when the killing curse sends him somewhere else.Somewhere he was dragged from seventeen years ago.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic on here. Woot! I know the prologue is a bit cheesy, so please still give chapter 1 a chance if you didn't like it. The tone is completely different, I promise!
> 
> Other than that. Hope you enjoy it! :)

It was time.

Harry stepped out into the open, breathing in to allow the scent of the forest to calm any nerves he had left. The sky appeared grey in these twilight hours, which he supposed was appropriate for the situation. A dark, but gentle, situation that made Harry feel both serene and frightened at the same time. Nagini was dead, thanks to Neville, and now one curse will win this war.

Harry just needed to die first.

He was surprised by how well he was taking it. Normal people wouldn’t exactly be calm at the thought of death but then Harry wasn’t exactly normal as evident by his slow confident strides towards the group of death eaters in front of him. His soon-to-be snake-faced murderer amongst them.

Voldemort looked over, his face showing mild surprise before smirking. He opened his arms towards Harry as if welcoming an honored guest.

“Harry Potter,” he said, offering a mock bow. “Come to die?” 

Harry took another breath. Voldemort was falling for it and that meant that there was no going back. Every instinct Harry had was telling him to run away from the cackling bastard. But he stayed, his desire to protect his surrogate family outweighing his desire to live.

He thought of his parents, whom he just met moments ago, with their soft smiles and praises encouraging him on. Then the peaceful faces of Sirius and Remus, their words ringing at the back of his head. Easing him onwards.

Quicker and easier than falling asleep… 

Relaxed, Harry lifted his head to look into Voldemort’s emotionless, red eyes. The crazed face held a twisted grin as he prepared his wand for the curse. Harry could hear the laughter of Deatheaters, but refused to take his eyes off Voldemort.

If Harry had to die at the hands of a bastard, then he was going to look that bastard in the eye. 

“AVADA KEDAVRA!”

It happened so fast, Voldemort’s twisted grin growing wider, a flash of green light, then darkness. 

A painful, burning sensation began to roar through every inch of Harry’s body. His world began to spin. He screamed into nothingness, heaving as the pain intensified further. Tears started glazing down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe there was a form of torture worse than the cruciatus. 

The pain seemed to last forever and this world, a void of nothingness, continued to spin. 

“Stop!” Harry pleaded into the void.

There was no response. He tried to turn over but felt tied in place and continued to scream as a more severe wave of pain rushed over him. This time it was concentrated on his chest as if it was aiming for his heart. Just kill him already.

“Please,” he cried again. “Somebody help me!”

Again nothing. The pain continued.

“Please!” he whimpered.

As if he was heard, the darkness broke in front of him in the form a grey light, and a hand seemed to be breaking through it to reach him. It was a strong hand with a wedding band on the ring finger and appeared to belong to a man. 

“Take my hand! We’ll get you to St. Mungo’s!!!”

Harry couldn’t tell if the voice was male or female. He couldn’t even tell if this person was an antelope or a teenage Dumbledore. He didn’t even think about why St. Mungo’s would be needed for dead people or why his body could move on its own again. Frankly, he didn’t care.

Harry’s hand shot out, grasping the other with so much force he heard the person wince. The hand returned the favour, grasping Harry’s foreman and pulling. Harry whimpered in turmoil.

“I’ve got him, Padfoot! Now shut up and help me!”

“Ease it up, Prongs! I’m coming!”

Wait… Prongs?

Another hand smashed through the strange light and grabbed Harry’s arm. The burning sensation increased with the extra contact and Harry let out another agonizing scream. Ignoring his cry, the others increased their pull on Harry until he began to move away from whatever it was that was holding him back and his arm finally reached beyond the grey light. He continued to cry as his arm made contact with two more hands.

Harry fell through, strong arms wrapped around him and a girl yelled something in the background. His vision was blurry and he couldn’t make out the face of the man holding him, if he was looking at his face at all. The pain begun to fade as the blurry image of his savior became darker and Harry, overcome with relief, just gave himself up to sleep.

“Dad…” he whispered.


	2. The Predicament of Ginevra Molly Weasley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the story kicks off! From 'Gin's' POV. I hope you like her!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 1! 
> 
> I'm going to see how people react before I post chapter 2. Please let me know what you all think. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Gin was alone, in her room, and in a predicament. 

It had been about twenty minutes since she had been locked in the house, but she stayed in her bedroom. Every other room was too red, too gold or too happy, and Ginevra Molly Weasley was none of these things. Despite what her family paraded around, she knew there was no such thing as heroes. This belief was her first sign of Slytherinhood and one she still held to this day. 

Now that she thought about it, the fact that Gin was a Slytherin was protecting her from an early death at this very moment. 

The surrounding green walls seemed to be smiling at her despite the reality. An insulting, precarious reality that went against every instinct that she had. There was a battle being fought and Gin had been locked in the burrow by her older brothers under the impression that she was going to ‘betray them at the last minute’. 

She was not happy, despite the smiling walls.

Gin paced. She was deciding whether or not to join her brothers anyway. The house was boring and seeing her brother’s faces at the sight of her apparating out of nowhere would be a laugh, but it was a decision that could kill her. 

It was also a decision that would make her leave the safety of her room. Every protective idea she had come up with was implemented here. She even made the walls her favorite colour, emerald green, for safety measures. Want to make sure no Gryffindor older brothers go into your room? Paint it emerald green. Worked like a charm.

But she wanted to hex someone so bad…

Gin stopped pacing. Maybe she could do something gryffindorish this once. After all, history was about to be made and who wouldn’t want to witness the defeat of Voldemort. Gin smiled. She could boast to Draco and Hermione when they got back to school. 

Happy with her decision, Gin skipped out the room with her high ponytail bouncing behind her, and headed straight for the downstairs window. Her brothers had a habit; they only ever blocked the fireplace and the door and then they forget that the anti-apparition wards ended about five meters away from the house. 

Gin checked the time to make sure that it was still mortal peril o’clock, (oh joy) and went to the far right window of the living room. She smiled when she saw that it was already open. Sometimes, she couldn’t believe how stupid her brothers were.

Taking a deep breath Gin climbed out the window and took five big steps towards the fence. Stopping, she flicked her ponytail and tried to think of the best place to apparate too. 

Hogwarts has anti-apparition wards, so that’s out the question. But Ronald did mention joining Mr. Potter at the ministry. 

She smiled. Considering that a fight was currently going on, she was going to have to apparate to one of the ministry alcoves. Where would the fun be in dying the second she got there? On that thought, she got her wand ready in her hand. Now the three D’s…

A moment later, she felt her stomach lurch and her surroundings change. The earthy feeling underneath her sneakers transformed into something more concrete and the garish gold tinge of her home became the comforting black of ministry walls. 

Now the face of an unhappy Minister Crouch looked at her from a flag, complete with the traditional black robes and bowler hat. 

Expecting loud noises and spells, Gin was surprised with the silence that greeted her. Curious, she peeked her head from out of the alcove and immediately felt annoyed.

Death Eaters lay stunned… everywhere. 

Well, Death Eaters, a few goblins and what appeared to be a giant at the back. 

She could also see Auror Potter and Auror Black dueling the remainder of Voldy’s supporters, however this didn’t bother Gin. The bothersome event was occurring in the center of the hall and she couldn’t believe what the idiots were doing.

‘The idiots’ were two Gryffindor teenage boys, one with red hair and the other with brown, and they were the bane of Gin’s existence. The red head was her charmingly horrible brother Ronald, the sidekick of the duo. He was cheering the other idiot on. 

The other idiot goes by many names including The Chosen One, The-Boy-Who-Lived and, of course, Neville Longbottom, the legendary fool of Gryffindor. 

Neville was dueling Lord Voldemort.

“Give up, Voldemort!” he screamed before shooting another stunning curse. “It’s over!”

Voldemort laughed in that creepy, evil sort of way (Gin didn’t know how else to describe it) and dodged Neville’s feeble attempt of magic. After years of watching the same routine, the ‘shock, it’s a duel’ effect was lost on Gin.

“You don’t know the meaning of the word ‘over’ Longbottom. I’ve already won! You just don’t see it,” he shouted back. Playfully throwing a curse at Neville, who dodged.

Gin didn’t know what to hate more, the fact that there was no one left for her to hex or the awful trash talk. She rolled her eyes; it would have been better if she stayed in her room. 

On the other side of the hall, Potter and Black had paired up against the last Death Eater. Dodging curses and firing them in perfect harmony, the two of them were much better duelists than Longbottom and much nicer to watch. Not that Gin would ever tell them that as she knew better than to inflate their egos even further.

A final curse from Potter left the Death Eater frozen. After a quick grin at his handy work he high fived Black before rushing over to help Longbottom. Who had yet to use a spell other than stupyfy. 

Gin was thinking an anti-stupidfy spell would be needed before Longbottom would try anything else.

“Neville! Get back!” ordered Potter. His Hazel eyes furious behind his glasses. Twenty years of Auror experience was in those words and would Mr Chosen One listen?

Of course not.

In fact, his words seemed to be as effective as an anti-stupidfy charm. Meaning he finally did something right for once.

“Expelliarmus!” shouted Neville, catching Voldemort by surprise. 

Voldemort’swand flung out of his hand and onto the floor. Ronald, who was the closest, ran over, his sneakers skidding on the floor at his speed, and picked up the wand in victory.

Gin finally decided to step in. She had to throw in at least one curse, right? She made a wicked grin, before pointing her wand at Voldemort’s back.

“Petrificus Totalus!” she whispered.

Voldemort looked back in surprise. He gasped for a moment than froze. Gin smiled at her creation. She titled her work of art, ‘The Frozen Dark Wanker’.

“Nice one, Slythergirl!!!” cried Black. 

Gin turned to see the scraggly handsome man running towards her, giving a thumbs up. She may have a problem with her brothers and every other non-slytherin, but Mr. Potter and Mr. Black were exceptions. Which delighted Gin as she shared their sense of humour.

But there was no laughter in Mr. Potter’s eyes. Even his untameable black hair seemed to flatten as he stared at Voldemort. Poor bloke looked defeated, no doubt wondering how everything could end so easily after everything that had happened to his family. 

The thought brought Gin back to reality. She gave Neville a pointed look before gesturing to The Frozen Dark Wanker. He looked back at her confused and Gin gave an annoyed growl in response.

“Finish him off, Idiot!” she sniped, not wanting to waste anymore time.

Widening his eyes and nodding back at her in understanding, Neville raised his wand once more to The Frozen Dark Wanker. He took a deep breath before shouting the curse. The one curse Gin was not expecting him to use. 

She was expecting a stunning curse.

“AVADA KEDAVRA!”

Mr. Potter’s eyes widened in horror as a burst of green light hit Voldemort in the chest and threw him across the room. Making contact with the wall, Voldemort’s body exploded into an ominous, black mist that seemed to hover centimeters above the ground. A chill went up Gin’s spine.

On the other side of the room, the strange mist signified the end of the war to James Potter and he felt guiltily sick with relief at the sight. He couldn’t afford to feel happy about a death, it went against his morals, and he had to defend them. Potter’s hand tightened around his wand and his eyes leveled-. 

Neville hadn’t been paying attention to the briefing again. This time, however, it gave Voldemort a merciful defeat and James Potter had wanted anything but that.

He turned to Neville with a blazing anger in his eyes. It was agreed upon by the Order that Voldemort would receive a dementor’s kiss for his actions. It was the one thing that fit their values and provided security for everyone. Personally, James wanted to watch the bastard beg for mercy after everything he had done to his children. 

“NEVILLE LONGBOT-“

Potter was cut off by a bloodcurdling scream.

The sound made Gin’s hair stand on end. Young… Male… Definitely male…

All heads whipped towards the black mist, which had somehow created a pitch black void where Voldemort once stood. The scream was coming from within it and was growing louder and more desperate by the second. Gin swore she heard sobbing between the screams.

Looking around, everyone had the same look on their faces. Gin didn’t know what was worse, the sound or Potter’s expression of dread.

“Merlin’s beard… Prongs! It’s a kid!” shouted Black, who was standing in shock next to Neville and was about to go over to the void when Neville reached out an arm and stopped him.

“No, Sirius! It could be a trap,” he began.

STOP!

Everyone jumped as the desperate plea vibrated around the room. Gin’s blood ran cold. Someone was dying because Voldemort died. 

“So! I can’t just stand here and listen to this!” Black proclaimed. 

He shoved off Neville’s hand and took two steps before Ronald stood in front of him. His face was slightly angry and would have been terrifying if he wasn’t shaking.

“I know it’s hard Sirius, but we can’t afford it,” he said hesitantly. “We might get killed trying to save a person who is beyond saving.”

That’s possibly the wisest thing Gin had ever heard Ronald say. Still, it didn’t solve the problem. 

PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP ME!

“I know…” muttered Sirius, his shoulders rising, readying for an argument. “But it’s my job!”

PLEASE…

This time the cry was more of a whimper than a scream. Gin dazed off. She was thinking back to when some of the Voldy’s Slytherin followers used the cruciatus on Draco last year. The scream she was hearing now mimicked Draco’s own cry. He still screamed sometimes at night… 

“Take my hand! We’ll get you to St Mungo’s!!!”

Gin mentally returned to the sight of Potter with his entire arm in the void. Somehow he had gotten over there without being noticed by anyone in the room.

She almost jumped when she saw him wince, and thought for a second that his arm had just been taken off. Her fears were eased when Potter grinned and moved his shoulder in a grabbing motion. A loud whimper echoed around her.

“I’ve got him, Padfoot! Now shut up and help me!” commanded Potter. He sounded strained from whatever was holding him.

Black, who was giving the boys a very wordy lecture about the nature of Auror work, stopped to look over and grin at his best mate. The idiots were frozen in place and stared at Potter like he was about to blow up the building. Sirius gave the boys one last look before joining Potter. 

“Ease it up, Prongs! I’m coming!” he called back.

Gin watched as Sirius thrusted his arm into the void alongside Potter’s. It was obvious he made contact when a sharper scream surrounded her. Black smirked.

Potter and Black gave each other a look, nodded, and then pulled. The screaming filled the hall again and the three children could only watch as Potter and Black tried to save a suffering someone from behind a veil. They jumped when they managed to take a step back.

What could cause so much pain?

The cry became a constant whimper and, unable to bare it any longer, Gin had to cover her ears. It appeared that Black and Potter were doing their best to ignore it as well, Potter in particular looked like he was about to cry. 

Ronald and Neville were whispering, occasionally pointing and shaking their heads. A cry of excitement from the Aurors halted the conversation. 

They had managed to pull out a hand.

Gin could only describe it as ‘young and traumatized’. It was about the size of her father’s hands, just big enough to cover her own without squishing them. It seemed to have a lightly tan complexion but it was hard to tell since it was covered in dirt. 

The Aurors reacted, grabbing onto the wrist with their other hands, resulting in another anguished cry from the void. Desperate, the two of them gave each other a look that only years of friendship could decipher, and then proceeded to combine their strength into one final pull.

It was Potter who caught the boy, wrapping his arms around him and allowing the stranger to land on him as they both fell to the floor. Something sparkly fell from the stranger’s head and skidded towards Gin’s direction. Ignoring this, Potter smiled and leaned back to have a look at the boy in his arms.

He frowned at the sight of the shaking figure. The boy’s clothes were ruined, his hair a familiar untamable black mess and his face, drenched in sweat and tears, held an expression of relief. 

It was the sight of his unfocused eyes, however, that made Potter freeze. Black saw it too and his expression went from a victory smirk to one of panic.

The idiots looked at the Aurors confused.

Meanwhile Gin uncovered her ears and picked the object that had landed in front of her. It was a pair of shattered full moon glasses with a simple metal frame. Her eyes widened, she had a feeling these weren’t just meant for reading, and aimed her wand at it.

“Occulus Reparo,” she muttered

The glasses gave a soft ‘clink’ as they mended back together. For some reason, this made Gin smile.

“I’ve got his glasses!” she called

She looked back at the scene, the fixed glasses starting to feel cold in her hands as she meet the unfocused eyes of the stranger gazing at her. She, too, froze at the sight of those eyes. 

The figure had stopped shaking and was leaning into Potter, resting his head on his chest. He was taking deep breaths.

“Dad…” he murmured before he slumped into Potter’s arms.

Silence filled the room. 

“No… It can’t be,” said Potter. “It’s just… No…”

Now Potter was the one shaking. As if he was holding onto the dead body of one of his children, though the unconscious stranger continued to breathe. 

Black, probably thinking along the same lines as Potter, placed a comforting hand on the shoulder of his best mate. The idiots continued to look confused.

Gin was mesmerized by the sight she had seen only seconds before. It was the eyes that caused the reaction in the room. As she found comfort in her green bedroom she had found comfort in that gaze. It made her feel protected and gave her a sense of belonging.

Potter’s voice whimpered around her. Gin wondered what he found so distressing about the stranger’s gaze. Nothing was evil in those eyes.

After all, they were a brilliant shade of emerald green. 

“No… How… Harry…”


	3. The Potter Trio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious 'Harry' causes chaos without needing to be present.

Ginevra Molly Weasley was a Slytherin in a very Gryffindor household. She had grown to be a potent hexer and potioneer in order to survive the reign of terror that was her six brothers, half of whom had already moved out and were no longer of concern.

That meant three remained.

The first was Ronald, sidekick of the Chosen One and leader of the school’s Anti-Slytherin Squad. (A.S.S. for short) He was also the most problematic of Gin’s current live in brothers. His pranks tended to be malicious and have been the cause of many St Mungo’s trips for Gin. Including broken arms, torn ligaments and even cut-off limbs. Gin had no idea why he went so far but it was now something she had come to expect in life.

The other two were the identical twins, Fred and George. Their pranks were harmless. The worst they’ve ever done was turn her into a cat for a day and that was actually an accident after they tried to give her a tail and miscalculated. They ran a joke shop, but moved back home when Diagon Ally became a code red danger zone.

The four of them were standing next to each other in the living room, gaping at the woman in front of them. Mrs. Weasley had arrived to deliver some news, giving the siblings a unanimous problem.

“WHAT!!!” They shouted.

Mrs. Weasley, a dumpy redheaded lady, glared at her children. Unaware of the problem she had just imposed on them.

“Honestly, what’s wrong with you lot! The Potter children will only be staying for a couple days, a week tops,” Mrs. Weasley crossed her arms, daring them to protest further.

“Their parents are going through a-lot and… No, I don’t know why!” she said, catching their curious expressions. “And the three of them don’t know either so don’t you dare ask them about it!!”

This disappointed Gin, especially after watching Potter’s reaction to the green-eyed stranger. She couldn’t comprehend exactly what happened, just that it left him in a sobbing mess and sent panic through the order. Even Black looked upset and he usually found humor in everything.

Remus Lupin had brought them home. He appeared moments after Mr. Potter broke down and dragged them away from the scene. He only shook his head at any questions before dragging Neville back to his parents, telling Ronald and Gin to stay put at the Burrow and behave. For once they complied. 

The Twins came home about an hour later, covered in dirt and looking grim, after arriving from the battle at Hogwarts. They were questioned about Potter and Black but they knew nothing, and then the four of them waited. No insults, no jabs, no pranks, nothing. Something felt very off and they all agreed on it. 

And not knowing what to do with them, Gin left the glasses in her pocket. 

“Dumbledore asked if we could let them stay. Apparently, this is a very bad situation and it will affect the poor dears eventually. But, James and Lily want to be certain of a few things before involving them now,” her her eyes darkened. 

Gin had a hunch that her mother knew who the stranger was even though she most likely hadn’t been told yet. It was strange how his presence had managed to send the whole Order into an uproar; Gin had even heard Lupin mutter something about contacting Peter Pettigrew who was currently in Peru on very serious ministry business.

“Therefore,” her mother continued, still glaring at them. “They will be welcome and none of you will provoke them in anyway.”

The boys groaned. Gin huffed.

“When will they arrive?” she asked her mother.

“In a few hours,” Mrs. Weasley replied, smiling in victory. “And you lot will help me tidy up the house before they get here.”

And that’s why Gin spent the afternoon ‘tidying’ her room in preparation for a Gryffindor. Not that it took long, her room was usually clean and all she had to do was wait for her mother to conjure the bed. So Gin laid down, waiting for the Potterdorks to arrive.

Yes, the Potterdorks.

If Ron and Neville were the bane of Gin’s existence, the Potterdorks were her archenemies. A war has been going on between the Potter and Weasley children since they met. No one knows how it started, but for some reason they hated each other and it was the one thing that united Gin and her brothers.

Funnily enough, Gin actually like the messy haired Mr. Potter and his beautiful wife, who was a red head like Gin herself. But their kids got on her nerves.

“Thanks for letting us stay Mrs. Weasley,” echoed a new, primp female voice.

Speak of the devils…

Gin stood up, shook out her shoulders, and sighed. Ready to get the introductions over and done with. She took one last breath, relishing her final moments of solitude before heading out her room to the fireplace.

She saw them before she hit the bottom step. Another red head girl was muttering to Mrs. Weasley with two boys behind her. Mrs. Weasley smiled at them before leading them to the kitchen. Gin followed.

Ronald and the Twins had already scored one side of the table and Gin felt a touch of gratitude at the spare seat next to them. She walked over and sat down, as did the Potter children on the other side with the girl sitting routinely between the two boys. Then, of course, the glaring began.

Mrs. Weasley ignored this and conjured dinner. Most likely wanting to eat with Mr. Weasley when he got home, she left them alone after telling them to behave while she read in the living room. The tension grew after she had wobbled out the kitchen. None of them had even bothered to reach for the food in front of them.

Several moment’s later and Ronald broke the silence, directing the question at the red headed female Potter.

“You’re going to have to say yes to Neville now, Magnolia,” he said.

Magnolia Potter, known as Maggie to her family and close friends, was a preppy Gryffindor fifth year and the middle child of the Potter’s. Her hair was a deeper shade of red than Gin’s and her face much more angular. She was the smartest witch in her year and, for some odd reason, was Neville’s main love interest. Too her credit Magnolia had been rejecting the idiot since her first year.

“He could rot in a hole for all I care!” Magnolia spat. 

The boy to her right nodded. “Who cares if he defeated Voldemort! I don’t want Longbottom as a brother-in-law,” 

Christopher Potter, sixth year Gryffindor and Qudditch Captain, was the scrawny, black haired heartthrob of Hogwarts and eldest son of the Potter’s. Intelligent and charismatic, he was the unsung King of Gryffindor and out performed Neville at everything. Being in Gin’s year and fellow Qudditch player, this was the one Potter she couldn’t avoid and she loathed him all the more for it.

“No one asked you, Broomstick!” replied Ronald. Christopher smirked.

“Easy Ron,” said George.

“Yeah,” said Fred. “Don’t want Mum to come in”.

Ronald ignored them and turned to the youngest Potter, who was looking around a bit timidly. His eyes wide with panic behind his full moon glasses.

“What about you, Scardy Mouse!?” asked Ronald. “Wouldn’t you want Neville as a brother?”

Mathew Potter was the youngest of the Potter trio and the only one to inherit both his mother’s hair and his father’s eyesight. He was in his third year and was a very shy Gryffindor, a trait that Neville and Ronald had teased him about for years. Gin had heard that his grades were high and she knew he was in the Slug Club. 

He wouldn’t have been a problem if he weren’t such a bloody good duelist 

Mathew shook his head, surprisingly confidant. “No, he’s a moron”.

Tired of waiting, Gin clapped her hands together causing everyone to lurch. She smiled.

“As much as I agree on the last statement,” she said, glancing at the food in front of her. “I vote we eat, then separate. Sound good?”

All eyes narrowed at her.

Christopher leaned forward with an expression of mixed confusion and suspicion. He shifted his head to one side and let his elbows lean on the table. 

“You seem awfully happy, Slythergirl. Did you manage to land a hex on Voldemort?” he asked.

Now he mentioned it. Gin had been feeling unusually happy since the stranger incident. His eyes were a beautiful colour… but no one at the table needed to know that.

“I did actually,” she said. “Petrificus Totalus! Turned him into a statue! I titled it, ‘The Frozen Dark Wanker’.” 

Christopher and the Twins raised an eyebrow. Magnolia gave her a knowing smile while Mathew nodded and adjusted his glasses.

“So that’s how Neville landed a hit! I knew he had help…” Mathew’s expression then changed from impressed to concerned. “But, are you okay? Normally you would have hexed someone by now. Nothing bad happened, right?”

Christopher turned to his brother with eyebrows up in alarm. “Matt, you’re not suppose to be so direct!” 

Mathew shrugged and looked back at Gin. The previous question was still lingering in his eyes and for some reason it made Gin feel a bit of pity for the youngest Potter. 

“Well?” he asked again. “Is everything okay?”

All heads turned back to Gin, looking as if they were about to run out the door at any moment, except Magnolia, whose hazel eyes were dancing with understanding.

“Nothing bad happened,” Gin confirmed. 

The boys breathed out in relief. Ronald was giving Gin a warning glare. Not his usual, ‘Stop being a Slytherin’ warning glare but a somewhat gentle stare that said, “Don’t tell them.”

Gin stared into space as pair of tragic green eyes flashed into her mind. She had to stop herself from sighing. If the three Potter’s had no idea then they could wait a little longer. She smiled to herself, the stranger deserved his privacy, right? There was no need for the world to know his story just yet. 

She leant back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling. Gin was amazed at how calm she was feeling in front of her brothers and the Potterdorks. Then again, emerald green had always had that effect on her, no matter its source. Her smile widened. 

For the first time in her life, Ginevra Weasley was looking forward to meeting a stranger. A tragic, green-eyed stranger that somehow made the impossible roll out of her mouth.

“Something amazing did,” she said.

The boys at the table went wide-eyed and gawked. Magnolia’s smile widened. Gin, not noticing the reactions her good mood was causing, started to fill her plate.

“What?” asked Gin into the silence, stabbing a roast potato with her fork. The others jumped.

“Nothing!” was the unified response.

It was quiet after that. Gin’s happy presence was sending chills to everyone at the table. Well, everyone except Magnolia. The awkwardness had caused everyone to rush through their meals. 

Hours later, Gin was staring at her green ceiling trying to ignore the other redhead in the room. To her delight, Magnolia Potter was very uncomfortable with the setting and Gin hoped that she would go sleep on the couch. 

“So…” Magnolia eased, “Other than Voldemort, hex anyone else lately?” 

Gin refused to look at her. 

“I stuck Ron to the ceiling a few days ago…” she muttered. “The Prat tried to jinx my broom.”

“Ah...” 

Silence followed. The girl’s were starting to twitch.

Magnolia and Gin had a very strained relationship. Gin use to give her pointy noses and large feet when they were younger and Magnolia would reply with some form of public humiliation. After their parents had a go at them they started to avoid each other and were quite happy with the arrangement. 

This was the first conversation they’ve had in two years.

“Tell me,” ordered Magnolia. 

“What?” Gin asked in surprise, finally turning to her.

“What happened? You were there!” she seemed to be begging now.

Gin’s dark brown eyes glared at her. “And why would I do that?”

“Because Dad never cries! He’s really good at keeping it together. Even after everything we went through. He. Never. Cried,” she explained.

This surprised Gin. So the Potterdorks had never seen Mr. Potter meltdown? Then again, even Black looked stunned when he heard the man’s voice crack. Gin appraised Magnolia’s determined expression before answering. 

“That depends, do you know anyone called ‘Harry’?”

Magnolia held her gaze. “Nope. I think Dad failed to save a kid with that name though. It was back in his training days and was so bad that he never forgave himself.”

The room grew cold and Gin had started to notice the creepy sounds of the house. It may have been the ghoul in the attic, or Ronald snoring, but something made her feel off. 

“Every now and again Dad will mention him. Usually when me or my brothers are in danger,” she continued. Gin could see no lie in her eyes and, for the third time that day, felt pity for a Potter.

“What do you mean?” asked Gin. She needed more to go on and Magnolia was providing a great insight into the situation. Who knew Gin would ever go to a Potter for information?

“Well… you remember when Matt was critical in St Mungo’s and how Dad never left his side,” she said. Gin nodded her head and let her continue. “He would hold Matt’s hand and say things. Like, ‘Please not another one,’ and ‘Not like Harry’.”

“That makes sense,” said Gin. Maybe the stranger’s condition reminded Mr. Potter of this Harry kid?

“Why?”

Gin looked down at the floor. She guessed Magnolia deserved some form of the truth. 

“After Neville obliterated The Frozen Dark Wanker, your dad found a boy in very bad shape,” she explained. Magnolia nodded. 

“The guy was completely out of it. He must have been tortured or something…” Gin’s eyes faded a bit when she said this. Shaking her head, she continued. “Anyway, he called Mr. Potter ‘Dad’ and fell unconscious, right in his arms. Your dad saw his face and became sobbing mess.”

Worry and realization hit Magnolia’s face. “He called him ‘Harry’, didn’t he?”

Gin simply nodded.

Magnolia seemed to relax again, but continued to look at Gin with pleading eyes.

“And that’s all that happened?” she asked.

Gin nodded again and Magnolia turned onto her back to look up at the ceiling.

She wasn’t too sure what made her think about them, but the full moon glasses were now under Gin’s pillow. She had originally decided to just keep them out of her brother’s way until she saw Mr. Potter again. But another idea had come to mind.

“Magnolia? Are you seeing your dad or Black tomorrow?” she asked carefully.

The other girl nodded, not particularly paying attention to the desperation in Gin’s question.

“Can you deliver something for me?” she pressed.

Magnolia nodded with an eye roll before turning to face the wall, clearly done with talking. Gin smiled and headed over to her old wooden desk on the other side of the room. She wrote something down before opening up a drawer looking for a specific envelope. She slipped the glasses inside along with the note.

It was a ‘reveal me not’ envelope and was charmed so that only the intended receiver could open or feel its contents. Technically they were illegal, but Draco had some contacts that had ‘misplaced’ a few orders. 

Long story short, she has about a hundred and fifty of these and couldn’t be bothered to buy normal ones. 

Reaching out again for her quill, Gin scribble down the names of the intended, in this case both James Potter and Sirius Black, she turned on her heels to see Magnolia still facing the wall. 

“Just a note,” said Gin, feigning innocence. Holding the letter out to the female Potter.

Magnolia tenderly took it from her. Gin smiled, she had managed to keep the stranger's privacy and help James Potter out with ‘explaining’ issues, as Magnolia will undoubtedly tell her brothers in the morning.

The glasses were way too thick to be for reading anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this!
> 
> Please comment or kudos if you enjoyed it! :D


	4. Explaining the Void

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Lily are confronted with the reality of their situation. 
> 
> Sirius is being a good mate and Dumbledore knows everything.

There was no mistake. The scar, the mop of black hair, Lily’s fiery green eyes, even skin colour that was so much like his own; the boy was an older version of Harry James Potter. 

How this could be? James Potter did not know.

He was watching this Harry look alike in a high security hospital room. The young man in the bed was underweight, malnourished, and was still recovering from the shock that some painful event had induced him into. 

And he made James think of that horrible night.

17 years ago, James had watched as his son was gently dropped six feet. He remembered the grief on his wife’s face when the ordeal was forced into secrecy and his anger at the ministry’s blatant disregard for his young son’s life. He remembered the Marauders, Sirius especially, mourning the loss of their youngest member. James could still remember holding his small body for the last time and the guilt he had felt for failing his job as a father. Harry had only been one.

He remembered yet… he somehow knew this boy was Harry.

Sirius felt it. He didn’t even question James’s reaction. Remus knew and he hardly even looked at the kid. 

Dumbledore himself had already asked Sirius and Reamus to go to Godric’s Hollow and unearth Little Harry, knowing James would be unable to do so. The old wizard even appeared to have a theory and it didn’t seem good.

James’s eyes darkened as he continued to watch Harry’s chest rise and fall. If his instincts were correct then he owed one hell of an explanation to his children. Merlin’s Beard, he would have to explain it to the kids that saw Harry come through that portal… thing. James shook his head; they’ll have to get over it.

And Lily…

Lily saw this older of version of Harry and went dead quiet. She didn’t shake as James had or sobbed after it clicked. Lily knew that the boy in front of her was the first child she had ever sung to sleep and she couldn’t believe it. 

His wife was with Alice Longbottom for the time being. He knew what Dumbledore had in mind and he knew, without a doubt, that Lily would not be able watch. She had never really finished grieving…

He sighed. This was going to be a long night.

The door opened and James swiveled his head to greet Sirius Black. The man’s eyes were a little puffy and his dark locks seemed to turn gray with his despair. Digging bodies up at eleven o’clock at night would do that to a person. Yet, there was a flicker of something in his eyes that made James stay positive.

Sirius stood at the door in a casual stance with a hand in his pocket. He glanced over at Harry, as if it was too painful to look at him.

“Everything all right, Padfoot?” said James. 

Sirius gave him a weak smile, “Thank Merlin for preserve charms. He looks exactly the same as… well, a younger version of this guy.” He gestured to the unconscious boy. 

“What about you, Prongs?”

“Still breathing.”

Sirius let out a sad chuckle. 

“It was grey.”

James’s head snapped up. 

“You did it without me?” he asked, feeling betrayed.

“You didn’t need to see him dead again, mate,” Sirius said. “Besides I’m related to him enough to get a good reading. According to Dumbledore, it should be a light blue.”

His expression became firm and, from his pocket, he pulled out a long, thin, silver chain that glistened against the roughness of his hands. James’s eyes narrowed at it in recognition. It was an Agnoscens. So many bodies had their identities restored thanks to that thing. So much more grief came with it, though.

“Dumbledore had asked if I could do the same to the big guy,” he stated, gesturing his head towards the boy. “He figured you wouldn’t want a crowd”.

James stared forward, gripping the hand tighter, and nodded. The boy’s face looked serene despite being a little rugged. Lily had done a quick scourgify charm and got the dirt off of him and, for the first time in his life, James Potter had seen a face that looked more like his own than Christopher’s. 

As gently as he could, Sirius walked over and wrapped half the chain tightly around the kid’s wrist before starting on his own. James was nervous and wanted nothing more than to get this over with. 

“Ready, Prongsie?” asked Sirius when he was done.

James gave a slow nod and smiled at his friend. 

Sirius took a deep breath, held the kid’s hand and pointed his wand at the chain. 

“Agnoscere Familia!”

Their hearts skipped as the chain began to glow white, this was the initial stage of recognition. No one understood how an Agnoscens could determine blood relations, but it once helped old wizardry families arrange marriages to people who weren’t second cousins. This one belonged to the House of Black, but Sirius donated it to the Auror office when he claimed his inheritance. James made him carry it around though as none of the other Aurors knew how to use it.

It entered its second stage and glowed bright in the designated colour. Sirius looked up to see James’ s usual wicked grin and a small tear of happiness escaping his eye at the beautiful sight of sky blue. Sirius could feel a grin form on his own face and tightened his hand around the fingertips of his godson.

“It’s him,” said James. “It’s really, truly him.”

James’s thumb caressed the edges of Harry’s hand as certain thoughts started to fill his mind. He frowned.

“Then who did we bury?” he asked. “And where has Harry been all this time?” 

Sirius’s smile faded. “Dumbledore is already on it. Actually, I think he’s worked it out. Just needed some field test results before coming to any conclusions.” He nodded to the glowing blue chain. “He asked me if I could drag you away to his office if it was blue. Apparently, it is something you should know about before he wakes up.”

James threw his head back and groaned, while Sirius began to laugh at his mate’s predictable nature. 

“I’m sure he’ll survive an hour or two without you, Prongs,” said Sirius. “You can act as his bodyguard when we get back.”

“We?” said James

“Lily-flower ordered me to take care of you. What is it you always say? Keep the missus happy?” 

“Shut up.”

It took roughly twenty minutes for Sirius to drag James away from the seventeen year old. Not that said seventeen year old could tell the difference being knocked out and all, although try explaining that to the man squirming through the hallways.

“He won’t wake up for at least another day or two, Prongs. You can spare an hour, I assure you.” Sirius explained to James, who already seemed to be suffering some form of separation anxiety even though they hadn’t even made it to the St. Mungo’s floo area.

“But he’s defied all odds by just being here. He’ll probably defy them again and wake up in ten… OOF!”

Sirius pushed him into the first available fireplace.

“Prongs. Shut up.” He said while directly shoving a handful of floo powder him. 

His friend huffed back his shoulders. So Sirius began saying the secret back up line, given to him by Lily, in the most likely case of ‘Jamesie’ becoming, ‘lovingly uncooperative”. 

“Lily will be…,” he began. 

James was gone before he finished. Sirius sighed and smiled, before grabbing a handful of floo powder and stepping into the fireplace himself.

“THE HEADMASTER’S OFFICE!” he called. 

In a flash of green flames, he was standing in a different fireplace looking into a room filled with books and odd objects. James was standing in front of a mahogany desk in the center of the room looking like an impatient schoolboy, playfully glaring at Sirius for ‘taking so long’. 

Next to him stood a red headed lady. Even though she was nearing thirty-seven, Lily Potter was still the beauty she was in her twenties. But at the moment, she appeared much older and her green eyes were dazed with exhaustion.

Dumbledore, the wise old man that he was, sat behind the desk with hundreds of papers in front of him, and smiled at James’ antics. But something was different; behind those half-moon glasses, there was no usual gleam.

“Thank you, Mr. Black,” said the Professor, giving Sirius a grateful stare. The man in question shrugged back. 

“Well, the big guy was blue,” said Sirius. Answering Dumbledore’s unasked question. Lily gently reached out to James’s hand at the news.

Dumbledore frowned. He took out his wand and conjured three large armchairs. Everyone looked at him. 

“You will want to sit down,” Dumbledore told them kindly. They sat.

“Now,” said Dumbledore. “You are not going to like it.”

James sat up straight. He had been through many ‘You are not going to like it’ talks concerning his children, and Dumbledore had yet to disappoint. Sirius, on the other hand, was bored. 

Lily remained silent, which was unusual.

“What Harry came through, was a ‘Void’. It is a kind of portal that connects.” Dumbledore explained. He lifted up a document from his table.

The trio in front of him gawked. It was an image of four little spheres surrounding a large black hole. Each sphere was a different colour; blue, green, red, and purple, and were slowly spinning around the central black circle.

“Specifically, it connects dimensions,” continued Dumbledore.

James felt his stomach drop, but let Dumbledore talk. He couldn’t trust his own voice at the moment. Lily was frozen.

“Luckily, there are only four dimensions. All recorded ‘inter-dimensional trips’ have ended up in one of these four realities.”

Dumbledore gestured to the blue sphere. “This represents the reality we are currently experiencing.” He then gave James a glance.

James gulped. “Harry lived in one of the other ones.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I can’t think of any thing else. Yet, most forms of travel happened around two hundred years ago and all of it was intentional.”

His face became thoughtful for a moment. “Except the first one,” he corrected.

James was white. Sirius had a wand pointed at his friend and was muttering a few spells to stop him from fainting. Lily continued to sit in silence as Dumbledore made a gesture to the purple sphere.

“Harry most likely lived here. The green sphere has a population that slaughtered the old wizardry families; he probably would have been killed at the first sign of his magic. The red sphere requires two hops, and I doubt Harry could have done that.”

He looked at the couple sternly. “Harry is the first case of a wizard to have been born in one dimension and raised in another. I doubt he is going to take the news well, considering he may have had family over there.”

“You mean…” croaked James. “The little Harry…”

Dumbledore placed the graph down and gave James a sad smile. “Was most likely the son of another James and Lily Potter. I wouldn’t be surprised if they watched Harry grow up unaware of the truth, just like how you buried their son unaware that he wasn’t your own.”

A tear escaped Lily’s eye. She felt for that other Lily Potter. The loss of a child was near impossible to endure, but being completely unaware of it? She hung her head. That would be rough news to be receiving right now. 

“Now for the problem,” Dumbledore stated, placing down the diagram and resting his back against his chair. “How did Harry get there and how did he get back.”

He then leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk and gazing into a distant thought. “That depends on what was happening in that reality as well as our own. I’m afraid I won’t be able to tell you until Harry tells his side of the story.”

There was one more thing James had to know. “Does travelling between these worlds… hurt.”

The old Headmaster nodded, watching James shake with his words. “Indeed. Which is why those who travelled were often slaves and house elves. Apparently, it’s worse than the Cruciatus.”

James fell forward and placed his head in his hands. He wasn’t crying, there had been enough tears today, but he was stressed and upset for his eldest son. Harry was going to go through hell when he woke up, and there was nothing James could do to soften the blow. 

He felt an arm around him and looked to his side to see Sirius. 

“I’ll sit with Harry,” he said. “You and Lils are going to need the night.”

James nodded. Why wasn’t this bloke his brother again? He turned back at Dumbledore and gave him a look.

“I’ll explain it to the Minister,” said the old man in understanding.

James faced Lily. Her face was white and her eyes vacant, indicating that she was bottling up her feelings, but nineteen years of marriage had it benefits, and James was aware that she was going to snap under the pressure any minute.

He hated seeing her this way. His wife was usually a lovely combination of fiery and charming. When Harry… Little Harry… died she became passionate about child protection laws and how few of them the magical world had. Which was why she became a muggle children’s lawyer when they came out of hiding and even practiced on occasion in the wizardring world. 

It was so strange to see her, his strong and wonderful Lily, broken. It had happened before, of course. At the funeral of Little Harry and when Michael was critical at St Mungos, yet getting Harry back should be good news and this was anything but. 

“Is he able to go back?” asked James. -

“When people travel between dimensions, the body is ripped apart and put back together again. There are only so many times that a body can go through that James… two or three times at most. I wouldn’t risk it,” explained Dumbledore

“Then how do we know about the red dimension? Doesn’t that take two hops?”

“The man who discovered most of what we know about dimensions was a phoenix animagus. He simply disintegrated when he got to the other side and transformed back into his human form. As such, the discovery of the red dimension came under very unusual circumstances.”

“Look on the bright side, Prongs,” said Sirius, patting James on the back. “They got him for his all his firsts, we get him for all his last.”

And in some freaky guilty sort of way, it did make James feel better. Lily, however, did not share the same sentiments. 

“My son isn’t some object to be shared around!”

That’s when the tears started. James transfigured a cup of water on the headmaster’s desk to a mug. Now Lily, with puffy red eyes, had her finger’s intertwined around a large cup of tea. James longed for the alcoholic bliss of firewhiskey, but had decided that Lily was much more important. 

“What are we going to do, James?” she whispered, staring at her cup.

He gave her a small smile and placed his hands on top of hers. Lily looked up at him, her bright green eyes glistening with tears. They reminded James of the anguished gaze Harry had given him earlier that day.-

“He’s the only one that got your eyes,” he told her. Lily smiled.

It was true. Chris, Maggie and Matt all had James’s warm hazel eyes right down to their shape and angle. 

“Yeah,” said Lily. “I can’t wait to see them on his face.”

Lily gripped her mug tighter. “How are we going to break it to him?”

“We’ll figure something out,” said James, now caressing her hands. “I’m more worried about introducing him to the kids.”

“That, too,” she cringed at the thought. “What are we going to do?”

James looked thoughtful for a moment, a brief idea coming to mind. They were going to have to split the burden, and James knew just the blokes to help them with it. 

“Which would you rather do, Flower?” he asked her. “Break the news to Harry or the kids?”

Lily looked thoughtful for a moment, knowing where this was going. She breathed.

“The kids,” she said. “It would be easier to break it to the kids”.

Lily looked back up at him, an accepting smile on her face. “With Remus.”

She watched her husband nod in agreement. Moony had always been good with their children, being Maggie’s godfather, and was the most accepting and intellectual of James’ mates. It wouldn’t surprise James at all if the middle-aged man had already thought of dimensions

“I’ll talk to Harry with Sirius,” James decided without needing to think. “Padfoot is his godfather and he has a right to be there”.

“I’m still here, you know,” said Sirius. And indeed, he was still in the armchair next to James.

They continued to ignore him. Dumbledore smiled at the scene.

“When?” asked Lily. At James’s confused expression, she clarified.

“Obviously, Harry needs to know the moment he wakes up, but what about the kids? We need to tell Ron, Neville and Ginevra as well. Should they be told separately?”

“Of course they should be told separately,” explained James. “But before he comes to. Those kids need to know why we’re not around and deserve an explanation before Harry walks through the front door.”

He shook his head as if reliving a terrible memory. “If I know those kids, they’ll find a way to walk into that security hospital room by ‘accident’. And to be perfectly honest, Lily, I’d rather there not be an ‘accident’.”

Lily chuckled and nodded in agreement. Their children had defied the odds so many times. It wouldn’t surprise her if one of them stumbled upon Harry while looking for James. She let her hands out of James’s and took a sip of her tea.

“We only have a few days then,” said Lily. Placing the cup on the desk. “Siblings tomorrow morning, witnesses afternoon?”

James gave her a sad, crooked smile. He then went on his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist in a loving embrace. Leaning his cheek up against hers as he always did when times were rough. She hugged him back.

“Sounds good,” he whispered into her ear.

If they were lucky, the kids might take this well.

Might being the key word…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this! :)
> 
> Please leave a comment if it doesn't make sense. Dimensions are difficult to describe and I am trying to make this as simple as possible.
> 
> If it was clear, leave a kudos or a comment to let me know! :D
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


	5. Waking up to Smudges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry finally wakes up and finds out the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 4!! Hope you like it! :)

Heavy.

That was how Harry Potter would have described himself when he woke up. His whole body felt like stone. 

He could make out an unpleasant tingling sensation in his right hand he thought he was moving, but realised moments later that someone else was actually holding. 

It was a metallic feeling that brought forward a memory of a hand and a black void. Harry’s stomach churned. He could hardly feel his toes and the thought of sitting up made his head spin. 

The hand caressed Harry’s fingers with a ring sliding in a rhythmic fashion along his palm. Harry felt safe at the contact. It had been a while since he had the luxury of safety. Maybe this sense of peace was heaven? He wasn’t sure, but it was better than the hell he had come from.

Harry squeezed the hand. The caressing stopped for a moment, and a second hand had cupped around Harry’s own. Harry breathed in, allowing his body to twitch a little. 

Feeling braver, Harry then angled his free arm and tried to sit up. To his surprise, he shook, and was quite willing to accept the help from an arm that caught him around the shoulders. He could feel the arm coming from the other side of him. There were two people?

“Easy,” said the stranger holding his hand. “Take your time.”

Harry opened his eyes to a blurry white room and two smudges at his sides. He had spent enough time in a hospital room to know that he was in one, even without his glasses. 

Harry was looking ahead unfocused and placed a hand directly onto the bed in front of him. His eyesight had always been bad and it had always amazed him how the wizarding world had yet to come up with some solution to the problem. It was the only thing he resented about magic… except maybe the unforgivables, but who liked those?

“Where are they?” he asked. 

“Who are you talking about?” said Arm Smudge.

“No, No! Sorry...” said Harry, who was raising his free hand to his head. “My glasses… I’m practically blind without them.”

He could sense the two men glancing at each other in alarm. Had his glasses somehow dissolved into the void? Harry hoped not, as they were the only pair he had.

“Ah…” said Arm Smudge. “Problem number one.”

He was now rubbing Harry’s back and Harry could feel himself shaking against the vibrations. There was something about this man’s voice that sounded familiar to him. Odd, as most men he knew older than 25 were dead.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you a new pair before you get out of here,” said Hand Smudge.

“Thanks,” said Harry and gripped the hand tighter in response.

There was silence for a few moments. Harry continued to look around the room, not that he could make out much. It was like he fell from a black void into a white one. The white one was a-lot less painful though and to be honest, he didn’t think the black smudges could be worse than Voldemort.

“So…” said Arm Smudge. “ How’d you end up in the void?”

“You weren’t suppose to be so direct!” growled Hand Smudge.

Harry thought for a moment. Amidst the pain and suffering in the void and being pulled out of it, how he got there never really occurred to him. 

“I’m not dead?” asked Harry. “Cause I could have sworn that I was about to die.”

The room became quiet again. Arm Smudge had stopped rubbing his back and Harry could feel a sense of panic in Hand Smudge.

“Merlin’s Beard… NO!” said Hand Smudge. “It sounded like you were in a-lot of pain, but you are certainly alive and kicking.”

“What he said,” replied Arm Smudge.

Harry continued to think. These two, whoever they were, didn’t know who he was or were too polite to say so. There was no ‘Chosen One’ this or ‘Save the World’ that and they sounded British, so he probably didn’t country hop by accident. He would also be dead if they supported Voldemort.

Nothing made sense, so the silence continued.

“Well… uh…” muttered Hand Smudge who seemed to make a gesture to Arm Smudge. “Hold out your hand.”

Harry took his free hand from his head and held it out flat in front of him. He thought it was a bit weird, but he was literally useless without his glasses and trust was all he had to go on at the moment.

“Can you feel this?” asked arm smudge.

Harry closed his fingers around something long, metal and string-like. It was cold, and blended in with the pale white void of the background. He had never felt anything like it. 

“We need to wrap it around your wrist and attach you to this weirdo,” said Arm Smudge, who was gesturing to Hand Smudge. “But only if you’re okay with that. We just want to show you something”

Harry sat still for a moment, before nodding. If they wanted him dead they would have killed him already, right? The string gently left his hand and then started to wound around his wrist.

“Thanks, by the way,” said Harry.

“For what?” asked Hand Smudge

“For getting me out of that thing. I thought it would never end.”

“Oh… Your welcome.”

Harry felt the grip on his hand tighten, and he didn’t think it was because of that weird string. He then heard a small grunt of satisfaction as the wounding stopped.

“Ready?” asked Arm Smudge. Harry nodded.

“Agnoscere Familia!”

A moment passed and Harry could swear that the white void was getting whiter. Hand Smudge had gone back to caressing Harry’s hand. The man had been holding Harry as if he was something valuable and delicate which, Harry thought, was an odd thing for a stranger to do.

The string began to glow a beautiful sunset red. Harry could see the fuzzy outline of it around his wrist.

Silence followed.

“So, what do you know about dimensions,” asked Arm Smudge. Hand Smudge growled at him.

Harry thought for a moment and a small memory came to him. “I think Professor Binns mentioned it in History of Magic.”

“And… what do you know?” asked Arm Smudge, urging him to get to the point.

“Gently, Pads,” said Hand Smudge.

Pads?

Harry thought back. “Umm… There’s four of them and…” he went silent and blushed.

“And then you fell asleep?” chuckled Hand Smudge. 

Harry nodded, “I think I might have.” He could feel the men grinning at him. 

“So you are aware of their existence?” said ‘Pads’.

“Yes,” said Harry. He stared down at the glowing string.

“What is this thing anyway?” he asked.

Silence, again.

“Aah…” muttered Pads. “Problem number two…”

It was Hand Smudge who answered, “It’s an Agnoscens. The Auror office uses it to determine blood relations between people. Certain colours represent certain relations.”

He gestured to Pads. “It’s light blue with him. That makes Pads your fifth cousin twice removed.”

Harry blinked at this information. “And this red?”

“Well…”

A door swung open and a deep red smudge ran in from the edge of Harry’s vision. It was emitting distress signals so strong that Harry found himself leaning into Pads more than what he already was. The red smudge stopped in front of him. Harry knew it was looking at him.

“Hello,” she said. 

“Problem number three…” muttered Pads.

Her voice sounded gentle and sad and… familiar. The only red headed women Harry knew were Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. Gentle and sad was not how he would describe their vocal chords.

“He woke early,” said Pads.

“I can see that,” she sounded stunned.

She sighed then jolted in realization. Harry could here the sound of rustling robes and then the crinkle of paper.

“Delivery from Maggie,” she said to Pads and, after realizing that Harry could now sit up, the arm left him. 

“How’d it go, Flower?” asked Hand Smudge.

“Later,” she answered, gesturing to Harry. She walked over and sat down next to Hand Smudge. Harry felt a gentle hand rest on his arm.

“Easy, Flower,” said Hand Smudge. “We somehow lost his glasses and…”

“THANK MERLIN!” yelled Pads. Causing everyone else to jump.

Harry could feel the force of ‘Flower’s’ glare on Pads. He silently thanked his bad luck, because he was quite happy not knowing what that glare looked liked.

“What? Slythergirl came to the rescue. But if anyone asks, I’ve never seen this envelope…” 

There was a bit more rustling and then a sigh of relief came from Hand Smudge and Flower. 

“I take that back,” said Hand Smudge. “We somehow found his glasses and now we can fix his eyesight problem.”

“Thank Merlin…” muttered Harry. He didn’t particularly like talking to smudges.

“May I do it?” asked Flower

“Sure,” said Pads

Harry was wondering what they were talking about until he felt the familiar metal weight on the bridge of his nose and his vision cleared. The first thing he saw was a pretty woman with deep red hair. She seemed to be in her thirties and was moving away from him with a shy smile. Her eyes were green.

Harry smiled back. “Thanks”.

She smiled wider.

‘Hand Smudge’ was grinning next to her, holding Harry’s hand with the glowing Agnoscens, and also looking like he was in his mid-thirties. His hair was dark and messy, and he had nice hazel eyes hidden by a pair of square glasses. Pads was handsome, dark and scraggly and also appeared around that age.

“Um…” Harry looked between their faces. “Who are you?”

Their smiles faltered.

“Problem number four…” muttered Pads

“You don’t recognise us?” asked a somewhat shattered Hand Smudge, whose grip tightened around Harry’s fingers.

Harry shook his head. ‘Flower’ looked like she was about to cry.

“What’s your name?” she asked, sounding desperate.

“Harry Potter.”

Harry was waiting for the usual reaction to his name, but it never came. He relaxed.

Hand Smudge leaned towards Harry and looked him in the eye. The air became very serious and, for a moment, Harry thought he fell for another one of Voldemort’s traps, but again, he would have been dead so it couldn’t have been.

“Keep dimensions in mind when I explain this,” said Hand Smudge gently. “The Agnoscens glows red when connecting two first degree family members.”

Harry’s eyes widened and he glanced down at the string, then at Hand Smudge and Flower, then at Pads, then back at Hand Smudge. He took in the man’s general appearance again. Square glasses, black hair, hazel eyes… If Harry didn’t know better he would say that this man was an older version of his…

“I think he’s still out of it, Prongs.” 

Harry paled. 

Oh.

“No,” Harry murmured. “There’s just… no…” He started to feel dizzy.

“Easy,” said Hand Smudge, who snaked his other arm around Harry’s shoulder to keep him upright. 

“James, we should probably get a healer,” said Flower. She reached out and placed a hand on Harry’s forehead. He recoiled at the touch. Pads narrowed his eyes.

“Screw the healer. I’m grabbing Dumbledore!” 

Harry’s head shot up, looking PadFOOT directly in the eye. He started to shake more violently. 

“…and I’ll grab the healer,” finished LILY.

Harry forced himself not to cry. This had to be some kind of really cruel joke! Unless he was dead and the dead somehow grew older… then why would there be healers? And what was that about dimensions?

He was very confused.

“Hey,”

Harry looked up at James. They were alone. Harry had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Sirius and Lily leave the room. The man gave him a gentle smile and continued to caress Harry’s hand.

“You’re not going to like the truth when you hear it,” it sounded like a fact. “But you’re going to be okay. We’ll make sure of it.”

He pulled Harry closer to him in a protective hug. Again, Harry felt unnaturally safe and this unnerved him. Safety wasn’t normal, at least for him.

Harry didn’t know what to make of that. Just hearing this man’s voice filled a gap in his chest that he didn’t know he had. His gaze brushed over the glowing Agnoscens still wrapped around his wrist. 

He couldn’t decide whether or not to hug or hit this guy.

“Dumbledore can explain it better than I ever could,” continued James. “You probably won’t believe it if it came out my mouth anyway.”

James caught Harry’s questioning expression and shot him a smirk. The same smirk in Snape’s memory… and then tightened his embrace around him.

“And I’m not going anywhere,” stated James. “No matter how much you want to hit me.”

 

\---

The healer was a woman by the name of Marlene Mckinnon and, as James’s cousin, was the only medical professional in the building trusted with Harry. Knowing that she couldn’t stay when Dumbledore arrived, Marlene had come in with a strong calming draft about 10min after Lily had left to get her.

“I’ll check him over once Dumbledore gives the okay,” she said. “In the meantime, only give him that if he needs it.”

And Harry did need it. After Dumbledore had arrived and explained his theory, Harry went into severe emotional shock. Wide-eyed and rigid, he didn’t respond to anything James or Lily said to him. 

Harry didn’t remember much of this moment, just that everything seemed to stop and that Sirius was the one who ended up forcing the potion down his throat, which worked as far as Harry could remember.

People bustled around him and, for that one afternoon, nothing could possibly matter enough for him to care.

But Harry remained quiet and didn’t answer a single question about what happened on his side of the void. He honestly couldn’t hear them. He just stared ahead blank faced and dazed, shaking his head whenever he was talked to. James had moved himself onto the bed with him, one arm still around Harry’s shoulders. 

It all happened so fast.

“It will be alright, Sweetheart,” said Lily before kissing Harry’s forehead. 

She had to go back to the burrow to help Remus with ‘the kids’ and Sirius volunteered as errand boy, leaving the room on occasion in James’ place. Dumbledore could only give Harry a sad smile before leaving to continue repairs at Hogwarts. 

James never let go of Harry for the rest of that day. But Harry wouldn’t remember that. 

He would only remember the most cherished faces of his life flashing before his eyes and that horrid repetitive thought in his head.

I’ll never see them again…


	6. When Eyes Pop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and Remus break the news of Harry to the other kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Please comment and/or kudos to let me know what you think. :)

The following morning was a disaster. 

It started at seven o’bloody clock when the Potterdorks were called downstairs. Mrs Potter had come over to talk to them about something and had brought Remus Lupin with her. Not that Gin was aware of that as she was half asleep at the time and still curled under her Holyhead Harpies blanket.

Gin had meant to stay asleep. A difficult task when Mrs. Weasley was screaming her lungs up the staircase and your roommate doesn’t know how to leave a room without making a noise. 

She was just about to doze off after twenty minutes of silence before the shouting started. Four loud voices vibrated throughout the house and Gin knew that there was no way she was getting back to sleep. 

So she stared at the ceiling and didn’t even bother to listen in on the loud conversation downstairs.

All she knows is that it ended like this:

“Why didn’t you…!”

“I’m not sharing anything with…!”

“That’s for me and your father to decide!”

“You lied to us!”

“We had no choice!”

“Calm down!”

The last voice was Remus. It was his only contribution to the yelling spree.

Soon after that, a crying Magnolia stormed back into the room and landed flat on her bed. Gin let her sob and continued to stare at the ceiling in disdain. It was almost a relief when Mrs. Weasley screamed for Gin and Ronald to come down.

Happy to get away, Gin bolted downstairs to find a distraught Remus standing in the middle of the living room. Ronald wasn’t that far behind her and clomped down with a scowl on his face. Gin was guessing that the Potter boys weren’t acting much better than their sister and judging by the absence of Mrs. Potter she assumed that the previous exchange was a particularly bad one.

“Lily went to get James,” said Remus, answering her unasked question. “I’m hoping he can sort those three out.”

He gestured to the lounge. “Please sit. We have to wait for Neville.”

They obeyed. Hoping to get a reasonable answer for their horrible morning. As if on cue, a crack came from the fireplace and Neville walked in. He smiled at the sight of Ron, who waved back and gestured to the empty seat next to him.

“Hello Neville, please take a seat,” said Remus.

Neville sat next to Ronald. Gin just wanted to get on with it. She hated the Golden tinge of the living room and was too tired to care about anything else. Although that was forgotten about when Remus asked them a surprising question.

“What do you think of the boy?”

They all knew whom he was talking about. Neville didn’t even have to be reminded, much to Gin’s inner shock, as he usually needed a bit more explaining. 

“He must be in cahoots with Voldemort,” said Ronald. 

“No, he’s not,” said Gin, her voice tinged with anger. “He did something that really ticked the wanker off. Why would his supporters do that?”

“Maybe, he betrayed Voldemort,” said Neville. “That may be why he got such harsh treatment.”

“Makes me like him even more,” replied Gin. This statement earned her confused looks from the two boys. “It means he has our morals, idiots!”

Remus chuckled. The three of them turned to glare at him.

“As amusing as your theories are, I have to say the truth is not so… realistic,” he said.

Gin narrowed her eyes at him. It was not like Remus to mention anything that wasn’t ‘realistic’. Neville was just as confused by the statement as she was. 

“What do you mean?” asked Neville.

“Please try and keep an open mind when I tell you this. Chris, Maggie and Matt…” began Remus.

Ronald interrupted him. “You told them before you told us! We were the ones who saw him!”

Remus straightened. “Keep it down! And yes, we told them first! If you let me finish then you will understand why. I don’t think Lily can say it again.”

Ronald was still peeved, but kept quiet after Neville gave him a look. 

“As I was saying,” continued Remus. “Chris, Maggie and Matt… well, they got their older brother back.”

All coherent thought left Gin’s mind. 

“Back?” she said.

Neville slumped over and let his mouth hang open. He had been contending with three Potter men while attempting to win over Magnolia, the thought of a fourth must have been unbearable for him. Ronald kept quiet, but eyed Remus with disdain, as if Voldemort’s head had sprouted on his shoulder.

Remus nodded. “Sixteen years ago, a boy named Harry James Potter was kidnapped from his home and used in a very dark ritual. Although it was never completed, Harry was killed before the Aurors got there. Due to the nature of the ritual the ministry ordered his death into secrecy.”

He paused for a moment and looked down at the floor. “He was only one. James and Lily never forgave themselves.”

Gin was stunned. It made sense, Mr. Potter wouldn’t cry for sixteen years just for anyone and he was overprotective of his children. And Mrs. Potter… her work in child protection seemed so justified now. Gin looked at the floor. She shook her head and glanced at Neville, who just sat there gaping like a fish. -

Ronald wasn’t convinced. “If he’s dead, then how could he be ‘back’?”

Remus looked back up with a hardened gaze. “That’s the unrealistic part.”

He reached into his tweed jacket and pulled out his wand. A moment later four small-coloured balls were floating in a circle in front of them, in the center was a large black disc. Gin’s eyes widened at the sight. She recognised it from History of Magic.

“The black veil Harry was pulled out of was a void,” he paused. “It connects dimensions.”

Silence filled the room. When no one challenged him, Remus continued.

“Dumbledore is under the impression that Harry was somehow transported to another dimension and swapped places with another Harry James Potter. The agnoscens supports this.”

Remus saddened. Gin had never seen him like this before and judging by their expressions, Ronald and Neville hadn’t either.

“We unearthed Little Harry, so James and Sirius could test it out. It glowed gray, meaning no relation was present. It glows bright blue and red with our Harry though,” he said.

“So… “ said Ronald.

“So, Harry grew up somewhere else and now he is back here,” said Remus. “He’s still unconscious, which is why James and Sirius are at St. Mungo’s. Hopefully, Lily will be able to pry James away to deal with his siblings. As you probably heard, they didn’t take it well.”

He sighed. “I hope you don’t mind staying down here when it happens. You especially, Ginervra, have a talent for keeping their tempers in check.”

Gin smiled to herself despite the seriousness of the situation. She liked being useful and ‘Harry’ somehow seemed worth the trouble even if he was another Potter. Ronald and Neville stared fearfully at her, but Gin was too happy to notice. 

“I’ll hex them if they get out of line,” she said.

Remus smiled.

“BREAKFAST!” called Mrs. Weasley 

A unified ‘Not Hungry!’ came from upstairs.

“I’ll grab them,” said Remus.

Only when Remus had managed to drag the Potterdorks into the kitchen did Gin find herself eating breakfast. 

She took a bite of toast as she glanced over at the dorks. Not taking it well was an understatement. Magnolia’s eyes were still puffy, Christopher was in a foul mood and Mathew was even quieter than usual. Remus and Mrs. Weasley were seated at the heads of the table, exerting their adult presence on the children between them.

Gin thought the dorks were being selfish considering that Harry had just lost his entire life and the dorks only had to accommodate him. Granted, they just found out their parents had kept a huge secret from them, but not saying anything isn’t ‘lying’. Which is why Gin believed that Mrs. Potter didn’t deserve the treatment she received that morning.

Gin was a Slytherin. She knew all about lying.

On top of that, Gin wouldn’t want to be Mr. and Mrs. Potter right now. The thought of being on the explaining committee was stomach churning. Especially when Harry woke up. 

She was taking a sip of her pumpkin juice when a crack came from the living room and Mrs. Potter walked in alone. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were misty and dazed. Gin felt pity for her.

“Where’s James?” said an alarmed Remus.

Lily shook her head, her gaze on her children. 

“He needs to be at St. Mungo’s,” said Lily. “Harry just woke up.”

Gin’s stomach does a backflip. 

The Potterdorks had stopped eating. Christopher and Magnolia glowered at their mother. Mathew sank into his seat. --Gin couldn’t blame him. Potter fights were legendary.

Fred and George shared a look and proceeded to exit the room with as much stealth as they could muster. Neville and Ronald followed them a moment later. Gin stayed put, despite the death stare she received from her mother. Mrs. Potter than gave Gin a gentle smile. 

“Thank you, Ginevra. Harry has horrific eyesight. We wouldn’t have been able to convince him if you didn’t give his glasses to Magnolia,” she said.

Magnolia raised an eyebrow at Gin but said nothing. Gin could feel the burning gaze of everyone else in the room, but ignored it. Choosing instead to give a silent salute to Mrs. Potter as she took another sip of pumpkin juice. She was the only one still eating breakfast.

Magnolia turned back to Mrs. Potter. 

“So how did Dimension Boy take it?” she asked. 

There was venom in her tone and a dangerous flash appeared in her mother’s eyes at the sound of it. Mathew sank lower into his seat.

“Much worse than the three of you,” answered Mrs. Potter. 

She walked further into the kitchen and took a seat between Gin and Remus. She didn’t reach for any of the food in front of her. Gin took another bite of toast.

“I know this is sudden and it is going to create many changes. But you now have another brother and I want you to treat him as such,” said Mrs. Potter.

Christopher tensed at the word ‘brother’. 

“He’s not my brother!” he spat. 

Strike one.

“We haven’t even met him, yet!” said Mathew.

His sudden defense surprised Gin. Now that she thought about it she had yet to hear the youngest potter contribute to the mornings yelling spree. Then again, growing up with Christopher as an older brother… Gin could see why he would want another one. 

“You’re just happy there’s someone else with glasses!” said Chris.

Strike two.

Gin had a vibe coming from her as she placed a hand on her wand. She promised Remus she would keep the dorks in line. So, she’ll keep the dorks in line.

“And that someone may actually want to watch those horrible movies with you!” added Magnolia.

Mathew looked like he was about to cry.

Strike three.

Gin’s arm shot out and so did a blue light from her wand. It was sent straight at the female Potterdork. She screamed as bats started to come out her nose and start attacking her face. Christopher and Mathew watched in horror. Remus was grinning on the otherside of the table.

A white light flashed from Mrs. Potter’s wand and the bats disappeared. She sighed in relief. Gin’s bat bogey hex was the first normal thing to happen all day.

“Why did you do that!” screamed Magnolia who was now wiping bogeys off her nightgown.

“To make sure you behave,” shrugged Gin. “And to remind you that you are also a big sister.”

Magnolia scowled at her. Mathew came out from under the table and curiously turned to Gin. 

“You saw him, right Ginevra? What does he look like?” he asked nervously.

His siblings glared at him.

Gin became thoughtful. She had never known Mathew to be so animated and, to be honest; it was rather adorable watching his glasses fall down his nose in his excitement. 

“If I had to describe his appearance…” said Gin. “He looks just like your dad with your mum’s eyes. Except…”

She paused for effect.

“He has funny cut on his forehead and his eyes pop,” she concluded.

Everyone stared at her. 

“Pop?” squeaked Magnolia.

“You’ll see when you meet him,” said Mrs. Potter. 

Her voice had lightened and she had a curious gaze set on Ginevra as if she just became aware of something important. Gin, once again in a good mood, didn’t notice and drank the last of her pumpkin juice. 

“Which will be when?” grumbled Christopher.

Mrs. Potter frowned and looked away from her children.

“Whenever he is ready,” she said.

From the wary sound in Mrs. Potter’s voice, Gin had a feeling that she wouldn’t be meeting Harry for a while, and this disappointed her for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was certainly lighter than the last one.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please comment if you find and errors so I can fix them up! :)


	7. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry meets his siblings and Gin while dealing with his new found situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! Yaaaaaay!
> 
> This has taken me awhile to finish. But I hope you guys like it. :D
> 
> Enjoy!

 

“Are you alright?” James called.

Harry groaned. He had lost his appetite, had hardly slept, and couldn’t stop _shaking_. The latter had made any attempt at independence impossible _._

It had been a week since his arrival and he was currently hiding in a white hospital bathroom. James (Harry wasn’t ready to call him ‘dad’ yet) and Sirius II (self-titled) had not left his side in that time. As much as Harry needed them, he also needed space to think.

‘Space’ was difficult to come by as he was under constant parental surveillance until Marlene said otherwise.

Every. Single. Second.

It was a miracle they hadn’t found out about his scaring, thank Merlin, so Harry wouldn’t have to explain anything. Yet.

He looked up.

His reflection was a nightmare to behold. Purple-rimmed bloodshot eyes were gazing back at him and his body looked like it was glued together with paper mache. On top of that, Voldemort’s killing curse had gifted Harry with a huge new scar that tracked across the left side of his chest, over his shoulder and diagonally across the length of his back. It was HUGE and it terrified him to a degree.

He had yet to show or explain this deformity to the people outside.

“Harry?”

“I’m fine!”

He picked up a blue long-sleeved shirt and put it on. Lily (not mum) had gone and bought him a clean set of clothes.

He sighed with his reflection and a hand went to his pocket.

There was one object that had come with Harry to this world, an object that wasn’t his glasses or his wristwatch. He had shrunk it to the size of a thumbnail and it had been sitting in his pocket since the day he left private drive. It was the first thing he looked for once he was alone and was relieved when he found it.

He wasn’t ready to explain this object either.

Harry took a deep breath, turned around, and opened the door.

James and Lily were muttering to each other in the adjoined hospital room. Sirius II was standing next to them with his shoulders slumped. James was holding documents in his hands and was waving them around as he talked to Lily, who would just shake her head at him. James would sigh every time she said ‘no’

Marlene had walked in that morning to confirm that, although weak and underweight, Harry was fit enough to leave the hospital. This was the cause of the disagreement in front of him.

Lily hadn’t signed the release forms, wanting Harry to stay until he knew everyone better, and for some reason this made Harry uncomfortable. He hadn’t even left to walk in the hallways and the lack of space was making the room grow colder and more vacant by the hour.

James, on the other hand, had astounding intuition. He had picked up on Harry’s agitation days ago and had immediately signed away. According to Sirius II, James had even told a house elf to prepare a bedroom _on the day_ Harry woke up.

Harry had paled at the ‘house-elf’ part.

“Flower, he can’t sleep without a potion. A proper bed might change that,” said James.

“He’s only been here a week! Maybe wait until he puts on a couple pounds and starts talking to us. Even Sirius thinks the move is a bit soon…” said Lily, giving Sirius II a pointed look.

“Don’t bring me into it!” said Sirius II.

“Can I leave?” interrupted Harry, the sound of his voice surprising them. “I hate this place.”

James smiled in victory and winked at Harry. The words were a mark of progress being one of the few Harry had said all week.  

“Well that settles it,” said James, pushing the documents into Lily’s hands.

Lily huffed at her husband but signed anyway.

“Just so know, If he falls down the stairs and breaks in half, I will kill you,” she said.

James shrugged.

Harry looked down. As much as he wanted to leave, he didn’t want to go to Godric’s Hollow. The last thing he wanted was to see more evidence of this world and he didn’t know how he would react to seeing the building in a good state. James put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll be out in the hour, kay?” he said.

Harry nodded.

“I’ll be back soon.”

The hand left and James walked out the room with the documents. Leaving Harry to stand around with Lily and Sirius II. He continued to stare at the floor. 

This was how things have been since Harry got out of his initial shock. He had just started to get comfortable with James, who never left, but Lily and Sirius II hadn’t been around as much. Sure, he saw them everyday. But James had talked to them when they were round and Harry wished James were here to talk to them now.

“So…” Sirius turned to Lily. “Trio getting better?”

Lily shook her head. “Still no progress with Chris and Maggie.”

Harry was confused. Sirius said trio but Lily only mentioned two people. Must be some kind of marauders joke…

“Matt?”

“Still excited.” 

“Slythergirl?”

“Still strange.”

“Odd.”

“I know.”

Harry’s ears pricked up at ‘Slythergirl’. It was the only name in the conversation he recognised. So it was odd that she was strange? He didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, anyone who returned his glasses was a saint.

“Ron?”

“Almost sent Ginevra here, apparently.”

Harry’s heart plummeted. There were other versions of his friends too?

His expression must have fallen because Lily stopped talking when she looked at him. She walked over and gave him a hug. The smell of lavender scented shampoo tinged Harry’s nose as he awkwardly hug back.

“Ron wasn’t violent back there, was he?” she said. Harry tensed.“But don’t worry, he’s only that bad with Ginevra. You and your siblings won’t have that trouble and I’m sure they’ll love you just as much as your other siblings do.”

Harry blanched. _Siblings!_ She rubbed his shoulders as his shaking became more noticeable. 

“I’m back!”

James had walked into the room and froze at the sight. Harry was shaking again with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. _He had siblings? Little ones? Big ones? Fat ones?_ He thought of Dudley. _Skinny ones?_

“What happened?” asked James.

“Apparently Ron’s not nasty where he’s from,” said Sirius.

James relaxed. “Dumbledore said that there would be many differences. One at a time right?” His hand returned to Harry’s shoulder and Harry started to calm down.

“No need to worry,” said James. “He only goes for Slythergirl and she can take care of herself”.

Harry stopped shaking as it clicked. He looked at James from Lily’s shoulder.

“Ginny is in Slytherin?” he asked. Lily’s massaging stopped.

“Uh… Yeah,” said James, his grip on Harry’s shoulder tightened.

Did Harry say something wrong?

“Was she a Hufflepuff on your end?” asked Sirius. “Because she will kill you if you call her that here.”

“Call her what?”

“ _Ginny_ ,” said James. “You two must have been close, for her to let you call her that.”

Harry pulled himself away from Lily and shook his head. The contact was starting to get a bit much, but he let her hold his hands anyway.

“We were friends, sure… but she hated her name. _Everyone_ called her Ginny. I’ve only ever heard her be called ‘Ginevra’ when Mrs. Weasley was in a bad mood,” said Harry, he paused for a moment. “And this morning.”

James and Lily relaxed. Was ‘Ginevra’ that bad here?

“So… Hufflepuff?” asked Sirius.

“Gryffindor.” 

“Ah…”

It was quiet for a moment before James cleared his throat.

“Well, you can’t go home within the hour. Something about paperwork and security, “ said James.

Harry nodded. Reverting back to his silence.

Suddenly, a pale white wolf flashed into the room. Harry recognised it as Remus’s Patronus. Lily let go of Harry’s hands and walked over to it.  The familiar voice spoke from the wolf a moment later.

_Err… Lily, the kids are acting up again. Maggie was going on at Matt, so Ginevra stuck her to the ceiling. And Chris... Well, I think he was the one that turned Ron into a canary and I think the supplies came from the twins. I don’t know how much more of this Molly can take and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind me watching your kids at your place. Maybe going in to see Harry if he feels up to it? REPLY BACK ASAP!_

The adults froze in horror, waiting for Harry to become unresponsive with the craziness of the message. But a beautiful sound came to their ears instead.

Harry was laughing.

They smiled. It was the first time they had ever heard him laugh.

“What’s so funny?” asked James, who placed a gentle hand onto Harry’s shoulder.

“Canary… ceiling… Remus… still Remus,” said Harry in between breaths. He calmed down and wiped a tear from his eye. “Are they always like this?”

“Only when they’re with the Weasley kids,” said Lily.

James’s smile turned into a devilish grin. He made eye contact with Sirius, who nodded.

“Aye, Aye,” said Sirius. He saluted James before strutting out the door with a sneaky grin.

Lily’s brow furrowed at her husband. “James! What have I told about silent conversations?” 

He shrugged.

“We have time to kill. Thought the kids would like to pay a visit,” he said. He shot Harry another wink. “Get it over with in one sitting.”

Harry thought for a moment, and then nodded. He preferred the idea of his siblings coming to him than the other way around.

James nodded back and gave Lily a look that said _see._ Lily huffed.

“If they break him in half, I’ll kill you,” she said.

He shrugged, “He’s tougher than he looks.”

James grinned and Harry became aware of the hand that was still on shoulder. He smiled back.

…………………….

 

Gin was sitting on a multi-coloured couch with a cup of tea, listening to Magnolia scream at her from two storeys up. A frantic canary flew into the room and torpedoed at Mathew, who had taken shelter next Gin, only to have fireworks chase it back out.

Everything had been going smoothly until yesterday when Magnolia refused Neville’s offer of a Diagon Ally date. If there was any credit that Gin could give Neville it was his ability to accept rejection with grace. Ronald, however, had sent a slicing curse at Magnolia’s head.

The Potter boys took it as a sign of war.

Mathew had set off a rainbow bomb in Ronald’s wardrobe last night, which ended up malfunctioning and had affected the whole house. Christopher stole a prototype canary crème from the Twins and tricked Ronald into eating it at breakfast. Which is why her mother was screaming at the twins for not locking up their ‘dangerous merchandise’.

With all the stress Magnolia had gone back to antagonizing Mathew’s desire for another sibling.

He was in tears when Gin had finally stuck Magnolia to the ceiling.

Sirius was standing at the fireplace, looking around and shaking his head. He caught Mathew’s frightened expression and winked.

“Guess what, kiddo. Harry’s now open for guests,” he said.

Mathew brightened.

The scraggly man looked around at the brightly coloured room. “Nice decorating.”

Gin had to choke down a laugh.

“Padfoot!”

Everyone turned to see Christopher coming down the stairs. A stiff Magnolia was behind him. Gin only just became aware of the lack of noise, excluding the frantic canary in the kitchen, and was a tad disappointed.

Christopher glared at Gin “Moony only just got Maggie down.”

“Great,” said Sirius. “Cause we’re going out.”

They blinked at him.

“To the hospital,” said Sirius. “You’re gonna have to meet Harry anyway so suck it up and let’s go.”

Christopher was about to reply but closed his mouth when a grumpy Remus trotted down the stairs.

“Thank Merlin,” said Remus exhausted. “We can finally separate this lot.”

The trip to St. Mungos was uneventful despite the tension between Mathew and his siblings, probably because the presence of Remus and Sirius kept the older Potter’s quiet.

Mathew was holding on to Gin’s arm. He had wanted her to come too.

Gin really did want to go. Harry had been on her mind all week and it had been frustrating not being able to talk to her friends about it.  Explaining her thoughts to her family or any of the Potter’s would have made her vulnerable in the commotion. So she hoped that meeting Harry in person would get him out of her head.

The lobby was empty when they got there. White walls, gray chairs, that weird medical symbol hanging eerily in front of them... Gin understood why no one ever stayed around.

They followed Sirius through the maze that was St. Mungo’s until they stopped in front of a dead end. Gin was confused. She must have been to the hospital a million times by now and she had never been stopped here.

“This way,” said Sirius, pointing at the wall. “I have to go in first to keep it open. High security and all”.

_High security?_

Gin knew the situation was complicated. But other than being a dimensional traveller what was so special about this kid? Sirius walked into the wall and vanished. 

Feeling a tug on her arm, Gin turned right.

“What?” she asked. Looking at Mathew.

“Do you think he’ll like us?” he asked.

Gin paused. She hadn’t thought about it.

“He’ll like you,” she said. That was all Gin was certain of.

The wall vanished, revealing Sirius at the entrance of a rather short hallway. Gin could hear muttering coming from the door at the end.

“Come on,” said Remus. He placed his arms around Christopher and Magnolia and pushed them through. Gin and Mathew walked behind them.

Sirius knocked when they got to the end. “Got’em, Prongs!”

The muttering stopped.

“Stay put!” called Mrs. Potter

The door opened part way and Mr. Potter slid out.

“Dad!” said Mathew. “You look terrible”.

Mr. Potter gave his children a sheepish smile and ran a hand through his hair. There were bags under his eyes and his skin was pale. But he was smiling and that was an improvement to the last time Gin saw him.

“Thanks, Matt,” said Mr. Potter.

He gazed over everyone.

“Alright?” asked Sirius.

Mr. Potter nodded as his smile faded. “Just tired. Harry hasn’t been able to sleep.”

Mathew frowned.

“Behave,” said Mr. Potter, his eyes flashing as he crossed his arms and leaned on the door. “Your brother hasn’t been taking it well. The last thing we want is for him to be staying here another week because of your tempers.”

Gin could feel Mathew shivering at his father’s tone on her arm.

“I know this is a-lot to take in. But I assure you Harry is taking in a-lot more. One wrong move and you’ll be grounded for the holidays. Am I clear?”

His children nodded.

“Good.”

He spun round, opened the door, and beckoned them inside. Gin glanced over at Christopher and Magnolia. They appeared unphased by the previous conversation.

Mathew had to drag Gin in before she hexed them. Her anger vanishing when she looked up. 

Everything seemed to stop when Gin saw Harry. The sad green eyes from before were gazing at her, but this time they were behind a pair of glasses. He was thin. He looked exhausted. And, worst of all, he was shaking. If Mr. Potter looked like he was having a rough time, then Merlin knows what Harry was going through.

“His eyes really do ‘pop’,” whispered Mathew, who was looking at his biggest brother in wonder as his glasses fell down his nose.

James had walked over and placed an arm around Harry who leaned into the contact. Mrs. Potter was on Harry’s other side, holding his hand while giving her children a cold stare. The couple seemed ready for a war. Although, Gin didn’t think there would even be a catfight. Christopher and Magnolia, though still rigid with waves of anger rolling off them, seemed to have softened under the gaze of their parents.

Gin had her eyes on Harry. To Gin, it appeared that he couldn’t believe they were standing in front of him. His eyes clouded before James rubbed his shoulder, ---seemed to bring him back into the room.

“Is he okay?” asked Mathew. Pushing his glasses up.

Harry responded with a shaky nod. This made Mathew smile.

Remus stepped forward so he was an arms length away from Harry. “It’s lovely to finally meet you Harry,” he said.

He held out his hand. Harry looked at it for a moment before, slowly, bringing his own hand out to grasp it.

“It’s… good to meet you too Remus,” said Harry. He sounded nervous and didn’t make eye contact.

Remus smiled at him. “You knew another me?” Harry nodded.

The man pulled away and gestured for Mathew to come up.

Mathew had to drag Gin up with him. Not that Gin minded. It was just that, for a second, she saw recognition in Harry’s eyes when he looked at her.

“Umm…” said Mathew. Stopping at the spot where Remus had been and not really sure how to talk. He looked Harry up and down and, in the end, shot out his hand.

“I’m Matt”.

Harry smiled and took Mathew’s hand. “Harry.” Mathew smiled back. 

Mathew let go and gestured to Gin. “And this is…”

“Gin,” interrupted Gin. “Don’t call me Ginevra.”

Harry raised an eyebrow and glimpsed at a stunned Mr. Potter. At the back of the room, Remus had almost knocked over a plant pot and Sirius choked on air. 

“Nice to meet you,” said Harry, his green eyes flashing with amusement. “Gin Don’t Call Me Ginevra.”

There was silence as everyone looked between Harry and Gin, waiting for the Hex. Mrs. Potter got her wand out with the anti-hex ready on her tongue. Mathew was trying to hold Gin in place. Potterdorks one and two were frozen. The men were ready to jump in and take the hit.

Gin grinned.

With that fantastic reaction, it was too bad Gin liked Harry already. 

“I set myself up for that didn’t I?” she said, still grinning. 

Harry grinned back and nodded.

The tension slipped away leaving behind a trail of shock. Someone had just managed to become friends with Ginevra Weasley in one sentence.

“What’s up with that,” called Christopher. He was the first to break the silence. “I thought you hated us.”

Gin didn’t bother to look at him. “ I _don’t like_ you three,” she said. “But he’s… well…”

“Somewhat, sort of, alright,” finished Harry. Gin nodded. 

Mr. and Mrs. Potter stared at Harry, who didn’t seem to care about the reactions his comments were creating. Behind Gin, Magnolia had the same expression as her parents.

“I thought you said you two were just friends,” muttered Mrs. Potter, looking her son dead in the eye. 

“Who?” said Harry. 

“You know _,”_ muttered Mr. Potter into his ear. “ _Ginny!”_

Harry’s face contorted into confusion. “What does she have to do with Gin thinking I’m somewhat, sort of, alright?”

His parents stared at him. Gin suspected her alternate self had come up in past conversation. As long as Harry didn’t call her ‘Ginny’, this didn’t bother her.

“ _Ginny_ …” squeaked Magnolia. “You can talk to Ginevra, cause of this _Ginny_?”

Harry shook his head. “Gin looks like Ginny and hates the same name as Ginny. But she’s more sadistic. It’s the same with you guys… you just like your names.”

Gin smiled. It wasn’t exactly an easy thing to talk about, besides; she liked being described as ‘sadistic’.

“Was she a beater?” asked Gin. “Cause I’m a beater.”

Harry shook his head. “Chaser. And boy, was she a Quidditch nut.”

Gin nodded with approval. “As long as she wasn’t a prefect or a bookworm.”

“Never! Fred and George raised her right.”

Gin chuckled.

“I think you’re the first non-slytherin she’s ever liked,” said Mathew, pushing his glasses up his nose. Harry just shrugged.

Christopher and Magnolia were watching this exchange with curt expressions. Something that Sirius had taken note of. He went behind them and then shoved them towards Harry.

“Introduce yourselves,” he said.

They pouted and refused to talk. Mr. Potter’s eyes flashed.

“You two…” he began.

“Are not talking to him,” said Magnolia. “He’s a stranger. Plus, he gets along with _her._ ” She jerked her head towards Gin.

Christopher nodded in agreement, raising his head higher. Mathew pointed at him.

“That’s Chris,” he said to Harry, who nodded. He then pointed at Magnolia. “And that’s Maggie. They’re upset because you knocked them down our sibling hierarchy.”

“Yeah, cause underweight runts are threatening in this dimension,” added Gin.

Christopher and Magnolia glared at them, but it was worth it. Harry was smiling, and this made Gin’s stomach backflip.

“Well, that’s the worst of it,” said Mr. Potter, patting Harry on the back. “This should make moving in easier.”

Mathew squeaked and his glasses slid down his nose again. Christopher stood straighter and shot daggers at Harry.

“Today?” said Christopher.

“Today,” said Mrs. Potter, making it final. “Foppy has already made his room and has gotten started on a wonderful dinner.“

She turned to Harry. “And one of the twins gave me this charming game they thought we would find useful. I thought we could play tonight.”

Christopher pouted, but didn’t argue.

“Sounds boring,” said Magnolia.

As much as Gin wanted to continue talking to Harry, she was glad she wasn’t attending tonight. Mr. Potter had a mischievous gleam in his eyes and she had a funny feeling it was because of this ‘game’. She would have to fish the details from her brothers later. 

She shared a smile with Harry. It was nice, she realised, to find a like-minded friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp, that's that.
> 
> Leave a comment if you guys enjoyed it! I love hearing what people think about my writing
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	8. Gray Liar and the Pursuit of Curry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry starts the process of getting to know his family and the lies begin to build.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! XD
> 
> This chapter took me forever!!! Thank you so much for being patient!
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

In the twenty minutes Harry had known his siblings, he had learned three things:

  1. Chris and Maggie didn’t like him. (This didn’t bother Harry)
  2. Matt worshipped him. (This did)
  3. Gin wasn’t half bad.



After Remus had taken Gin home, the remaining adults had encouraged the younger Potters to ‘interact’ with their brother. Something that neither party had taken kindly too.

Chris and Maggie remained silent while Matt bombarded Harry with random questions. Harry answered with as few words as he could and was leaning further back into James’s shoulder as they became more personal. Lily had left to check on progress with the security.

“Do you like Star Wars?”

Harry shrugged.

“Are you a Slytherin, like Ginevra?”

Harry shook his head.

“Gryffindor?”

Harry nodded.

“What was it like over there? 

Harry paled.

“Matt,” said James. “Hogwarts will be repaired soon. Ready for your exams?” 

James, who had been watching in amusement, had finally decided to save Harry from Matt’s relentless curiosity. 

“Of course,” said Matt. “I’ve been hiding in the Weasley’s attic with my textbooks. Ron never looks there.”

James nodded. Harry just stood there and attempted to interpret the silent understanding transmitting through the room.

“I hope he stays a canary,” muttered Chris. The comment made Harry smile. “It’s a better look for him.”

“And we’ll be talking about that later.”

Lily was standing at the door, glowering at Chris. She turned to James and jerked her head outside. 

“We’re clear to go home.”

“Brilliant,” said Sirius II. He gestured to Harry. “See you tomorrow?”

Harry nodded. Sirius II saluted James and winked at Matt before walking out with his feet tapping down the hall.

Home. They were going home. The thought was foreign to Harry. He wondered if home was a choice or if you were dragged into it. Maybe it was the place you had to be or the place where your loved ones slept. But, whatever the criteria, Harry knew he wouldn’t be ‘home’ for very long time, and this scared him.

James, in contrast, was radiating excitement. He pulled Harry close to him and ruffled his hair.

“Time to introduce you to the house,” he said before steering Harry out the room towards the Floo area.

‘House’ was an understatement. Especially when the place was titled Potter _Manor_.

Harry gawked when James said the name. The man had pushed him into a side-along floo and now Harry was gazing into a fancy cream living room with a leather couch and an elegant hazelnut coffee table. The walls were littered with photographs of his siblings. All was well and good until he realised that the pictures _weren’t_ moving.

His jaw dropped as he took in more of the room’s features.

The lights were electric. There was a power outlet near the door. A stack of muggle books and magazines lay scrambled on the coffee table. They must have flooed into a muggle house by accident…

“Welcome home, son,” said James, patting Harry on the back.

…Or not.

Harry was stunned. He was expecting the magical abode of the cottage, not a replica of a muggle mansion.

He felt himself get gently pushed out of the fireplace.

“We’ve only finished the renovations last month,” said James. “I’m not surprised you don’t recognise the floo room.” 

Floo room? This wasn’t the living room?

A few pops later, Lily and his siblings were standing behind them. Harry was still speechless.

“Now let’s...” started James.

_Crack!_

Three house elves appeared in front of Harry. One was wearing a bright pink cloth. The other two had flowers embroidered on their’s. They stared at him, wide-eyed and silent, before bouncing up and down in excitement. Lily frowned at their presence.

“Pleasures to meet you Master Harry,” said the one in the pink cloth. She leaned into a low bow. “My’s name is Foppy.”

“My’s is Heger,” said the one with embroidered roses.

“My’s is Picksy,” said the one with sewn daisies.

They bowed to him. “Welcome to Potter’s Manner. Let’s us serve you.”

Harry smiled and nodded to them. This made them excited again. James raised an eyebrow but said nothing. His siblings started frowning alongside with his mother. Not that Harry was paying much attention to them. He had already decided that he liked all three of the little elves.

“Foppy is head elf,” said Foppy, puffing out her chest. “Is there anything’s Foppy can do for Master Harry on’s his first day?”

Harry remained calm and nodded. His family tensed as he raised his shaking hands.

“I could use a cup of tea with a light calming draft,” he said. “I would be grateful if you could make it for me. It stops the shaking.”

The house-elves went silent, Harry was beginning to think that he had said something wrong again, but then they jumped for joy.

“We’s get you’s your tea Master Harry,” they chorused.

They bowed again before apparating with a _Crack!_ Lily shook her head.

“Honey, next time they ask you that, say ‘no’,” she said. Harry stared at her. 

His siblings were fidgeting behind him. Matt pushed his glasses up his nose, unable to look at Harry.

“But, they’re house elves,” said Harry. “Doesn’t asking for help make them happy?”

Lily looked away.

“It makes you a slave driver, since you can do it yourself,” said Maggie. Chris and Matt nodded. James had raised his eyebrow at Harry.

“Well, I haven’t even been able to fluff my pillow,” said Harry in defense. He shuddered. “Attempting to make a cup of tea like this… I don’t want to think about it.”

James rubbed Harry’s shoulder. “Just ask us to do it next time.”

The gentle pushing began again and Harry felt himself driven through the halls of Potter Manor. James was chatting away about something but Harry was too busy taking everything in to pay attention.

The place was so… muggle.

Not a single photograph in the house moved. Not a single object looked remotely magical. He even saw a television in one of the rooms he walked past.

They stopped in the actual living room. It was much larger than the floo room and much cosier. The walls were crimson and gold and smoky aroma wafted from a large glowing fireplace. Four large armchairs were in front of the warm flames on a rug that spanned the length of the room.

It was here that Harry saw the only moving image in the manor which was a portrait of a man hanging above the mantelpiece. He looked like a very old version of James and was wearing smart black dress robes and gripped onto a long walking cane. The man nodded at him. Harry nodded back. This room was full of magic.

“That’s your grandfather,” said James. “He’s down at Godric’s Hollow.”

James sat Harry down on one of the big comfy armchairs and proceeded to sit in the one next to him. Lily and his siblings were no longer with them. Harry assumed they must have split off somewhere back in the maze.

_Crack!_

Foppy had appeared with a cup of tea. She tottled over to Harry and clicked her fingers. A small table appeared next to him with a tray of biscuits. She placed the cup down on it and looked at him expectantly.

Realising what she was waiting for, Harry picked up the cup with his shaking hands and took a sip of the sweet liquid. His shaking slowed.

“Wonderful! Thank you, Foppy,” said Harry.

Foppy puffed out her chest. “Anything’s else for Master Harry?”

“Not at the moment,” said Harry remembering what Lily had said. Foppy’s happy demeanor seemed to fall.

“But I’ll call you when I need another cup of tea!” he added quickly. “This one is perfect.”

He took another sip to prove his point. It really was a good cup of tea. Foppy brightened.

“Foppy always available’s for Master Harry,” she said before apparating away.

James smiled at Harry. “They’ll make you tea every morning now,” he said. 

“But she looked so sad,” muttered Harry. He took another sip of his tea then added. “And she really does make great tea!”

James shook his head. “You’re something else…”

They chatted for over an hour. The living room was a much more ‘normal’ place to talk and Harry knew that James had been trying to have a conversation like this for ages.

James talked about the general things of this world, like who the minister of magic was (A great guy!) and why James didn’t like the chosen one (Neville never follows the plan!). Harry didn’t say much, just nodded every now and again, but he did listen. He couldn’t help but wonder how this Neville turned out as the chosen one.

“Neville’s a decent kid,” said James. “But he’s not the role model he needs to be.”

The twins came up a few times, both of them. Harry’s eyes lit up when he learned that they also had a joke shop, which they managed to open after winning the lottery. Apparently, it had blown up twice. Once during a death eater attack, when an inferno curse hit the fireworks display, and again when Ron and Gin had a nasty fight.

Which meant that, according to James, Ron was indeed violent. He was also Neville’s best friend. Harry gazed off at this point. There was no mention of Hermione.

“Ron’s a prat that can’t be handled, don’t mess with him” said James.

“What about Gin? What’s the big deal with her?” Harry asked.

“Well… It started when she was seven and the family found out she was a parseltongue.”

Harry had to blink for a few moments to process that piece of information. James waited for his reaction but Harry nodded for him to continue.

“It was a big shock and Slythergirl was left on her own for awhile. Ron started going after her a year later and became violent after she was sorted into Slytherin. That year the Chamber of Secrets… do you know what that is?”

Harry nodded. Not looking at James. 

“Well, it supposedly opened after a bunch of kids became petrified. Slythergirl was framed as the heir, but it all settled. Dumbledore narrowed it down to a magical mold that found its way into the kitchen. Ron still hasn’t stopped going after her though and her friends have become limited because of it.”

“And Chris, Maggie and Matt?”

“None of the Weasley kids get along with them. No idea why.”

“Weird,” muttered Harry. James voiced his agreement. 

“Hey.”

Lily was standing in the doorway with an affectionate smile on her face. She was wearing a maroon night robe and her hair was tied up into a low ponytail.

“What are you talking about?” she said. 

“Stuff,” answered James with a wave of his hand. Harry smiled at him.

Lily shook her head. 

“Dinner’s ready.” she said before walking away.

James steered Harry to the dining room. Which was just like the lounge with a large rectangle table in the center. Trays of weird foreign food Harry had never seen before were lined up in front of each seat. 

His siblings were already seated and were bickering quietly amongst themselves. Lily was standing on the other side of the table, gesturing to the chair next to her.

“It’s my turn to hog him,” she said. James chuckled. 

He let go of Harry and sat on Lily’s other side while Lily pulled Harry into the seat next to hers. Harry was touched by her eagerness. He gazed around and noticed a framed wedding bouquet hanging on the wall as thoughts of home began to cloud his mind.

Matt was sitting across from him and had been struggling to keep his glasses up ever since Harry had walked in. Chris giggled at his efforts.

“There’s a spell for that,” said Harry, trying not to laugh. “ _Oculi Movere._ It’s placed on the brim and stops them from falling off.”

His brother’s eyes widened, “You use magic for that kind of stuff.”

Everyone stared at Harry.

“Well, I am a wizard,” said Harry, who was confused by Matt’s answer. “And so are you. ” 

“It makes you lazy,” said Maggie. She narrowed her eyes at Harry. James had his eyebrow raised again.

“No, it makes you magical,” countered Harry. “Why have magic if you can’t do basic stuff with it?”

Matt shook his head in bewilderment, “Wands are meant for protection,” he exclaimed.

“No, their meant for magic,” said Harry, who was even more confused. 

Chris clenched his fist. James raised his hand at him, preventing a fight.

“Harry has a valid point,” he said. “We’ll fix Matt’s glasses after dinner.”

It wasn’t until then that Harry realised that he had no idea how to _eat_ dinner. He looked down at the creamy orange stuff. There was a large bowl of rice next to it and his siblings had these cracker things on their plates. Each person had a fork, but no knives.

“Time to dig in,” said James.

And dig in they did. Well, everyone else. Harry stared at his food and recoiled at the sweet and spicy smell. Lily noticed and placed her hand on his wrist.

“Are you okay, sweetheart,” said Lily. “Your acting like you’ve never seen curry before.”

Harry continued to stare at it. His stomach clenched as the smell of spices travelled to his stomach.

“I haven’t,” he said. A few forks dropped.

It was true. The Dursley’s never had anything that Uncle Vernon dubbed ‘Asian Garbage’ and considered pizza foreign food. Harry had never had a proper meal until he got accepted into Hogwarts and they only serve traditional recipes.

But judging by the look on Lily’s face, he wouldn’t want to be explaining that any time soon.

“Really,” she said. “And why is that?”

Harry kept staring at the curry. He could feel his siblings stare at him. Knowing he had to say something he decided to have a little fun.

“Chris had severe lactose intolerance,” said Harry. “And Maggie was a strict vegan. I haven’t had foreign food since I was eight because of it.”

Wanting to say something true, he gestured to the chicken in the curry. “This is the first time I’ve eaten chicken all year!”

Matt was smiling,  “How bad was Chris’s intolerance?”

“REAL bad. A glass of milk would put trolls eating baked beans to shame,” said Harry with a completely straight face. Lily’s grip on his wrist lightened.

James, Matt and Maggie burst out laughing. Chris went beetroot red.

“That’s not funny,” said Chris.

Then, in absolute seriousness, Harry agreed with him. “Exactly! It was a nightmare! If I had anything lactose related, I had to lock it in my trunk so there wouldn’t be any ‘accidents’.”

The laughing got harder as Chris became redder. Lily was even cracking a smile.

“Accidents?” cackled Matt. “Come on, don’t leave us hanging.”

Harry cleared his throat and turned pink. “Last time was awful. He ate some Valentines Day chocolates that were addressed to me. He thought they were his lactose free ones, but that’s not the bad part.”

His voice became a whisper. “It just so happened that they were also spiked with love potion.”

Matt fell out of his seat in laughter.  James and Maggie had trouble staying upright. Lily rubbed Harry’s wrist, trying not to laugh.

Chris was sinking into his seat, officially a tomato. 

“I take it you lot can fill in the blanks,” said Harry maintaining his serious expression.

A sickening feeling started to settle in his gut.

After that, Lily explained to Harry how to eat curry. It didn’t taste that bad, though he still felt sick, and the rest of the meal continued in silence. Harry had to wonder if the tension was normal.

_Crack!_

Foppy appeared.

“Foppy is cleaning dishes,” she said, puffing her chest out.

“Thanks, Foppy. We’ll be in the Games Room,” said James. Foppy became really excited.

Lily glared at her husband but James shook his head.

“I would much rather play on Harry’s first night, Flower,” he said.

They left the dining room together with Lily steering Harry this time. Matt was walking next to them and babbled away about Chris’s supposed lactose intolerance. 

“It was the other Chris! Not me!” said Chris from behind them.

“Speaking of which, do you still have Grapejuice?” asked Harry. 

“Grapejuice?” said Chris.

“Why Grapejuice?” said James. He was just happy Harry was talking. 

“Who’s Grapejuice,” corrected Harry. “He’s a stuffed purple duck that Chris got on his fifth birthday. He still sleeps with it. What a shame he’s not in this dimension…”

Chris went red again while Matt laughed. Lily stroked Harry’s shoulder as she continued to steer him down the hall.

Three right turns, a downward staircase and a long hallway later. Harry finally found himself in the Games room. It was of average size. A pool table was in the right hand corner and a round table was on the left. Harry had to blink a few times at the TV set with a Playstation hooked up to it. One of his siblings must have loved those types of games because images of animated characters hung on the walls.

Harry was tugged into the seat between his mother and Matt. James sat on Lily’s other side, ---still smiling about ‘Grapejuice’. Chris and Maggie were glaring at Harry on the other side of the table. 

“Okay,” said Lily. “Game time.”

She pulled out a yellow orb from her robes and placed it in the center of the table. 

“It’s called Gray Liar,” said Lily. “Fred and George dubbed it the ‘ultimate get to know people game,’ in their Questions Series” She glanced at Harry when she said this.

His father nodded. “Basically, someone asks a question and everyone takes turns answering it as they go round the table. And if you lie… Flower, do the honours.” 

Lily grinned. “What’s your favourite colour?”

“Hot pink.”

The orb in the center glowed and James’s hair turned gray. Harry’s siblings burst out laughing.

“As you can see. If you lie, you temporarily age. However, if you say a partial truth the orb will glow white and it will remain your turn until you answer,” said Lily. She nodded at Chris who was seated next to James. “Your turn.” 

“Blue,” said Chris, who seemed relaxed.

“Purple,” said Maggie.

“Green,” said Matt.

It was Harry’s turn. “Uh… red?”

The orb glowed white. Harry scrunched up his face in confusion. 

“Uh…” he said. “ _Gryffindor_ red?”

It went back to yellow. James shook his head, “Specific much?”

And that’s how the game started.

The first two trips around the table had similar simple questions, such as ‘What’s your favourite food?’ which Chris proudly proclaimed was ice cream, and ‘Favourite animal?’, which revealed Matt’s thing for bluejays.

Harry had asked about their favourite books and their hobbies. He was surprised when James admitted to liking Jules Verne and Maggie liked to crochet. It was all going well and Harry was enjoying learning these basic things about his family. No one else had gone grey yet.

Then the third round started and the questions became serious.

“What’s your biggest fear,” asked Maggie. She had her elbows propped up on the table and was glancing around at her family. Harry felt his mouth go dry as he watched Matt think.

“I’m not sure if it’s my biggest fear. But, I don’t like snakes,” said Matt.

The orb remained yellow. It was Harry’s turn. He gulped. Everyone was staring at him. 

“Uh…” muttered Harry. He was sweating now and that sickening feeling was returning to his stomach. “I hate… dementors.”

Maggie gasped. “Dementors! You’ve seen a dementor?” Harry looked down and gripped the armrests so hard his knuckles went white. 

“My biggest fear is losing any of you,” said Lily. She reached out to Harry’s hand as she said this.

“Same,” said James, nodding at Harry.

Everyone turned to Chris, who went pink. “Miramaamam” he said under his breath.

The orb turned white. 

“Repeat that,” asked Matt. He was grinning, obviously knowing what Chris was on about. 

Chris gulped. “Miranda Lanan,” The orb turned yellow.

The family laughed. Harry blinked in confusion. He had never heard of the name before.

“Who’s that?” he asked. 

James calmed down and winked at him. “A skinny little blonde girl whose been trailing after Chris for the past three years”.

Harry was reminded of Romilda Vane. He shuddered, not finding it funny at all. Everyone was now waiting for Maggie’s answer, except Chris, who was blending into his seat.

“Well, I’m scared of failing my classes,” said Maggie, completing the question. “Your turn, Matt.”

Matt pondered for a moment, then smiled. “What’s your patronus? Or if you can’t do one what would you like it to be?”

All eyes went on Harry, who became uncomfortable again. Patronus’s were personal and the way Matt asked the question so casually unnerved him. The sickening feeling became worse. He took a breath.

“It’s a stag,” said Harry, shrugging off his uneasiness.

James was grinning at Harry with his chest puffing out a little. The man winked at him.

“I’m flattered,” said James. Harry gave a small smile.

His siblings weren’t so convinced. Maggie and Matt shared a look and he swore he heard Chris mutter ‘suck up’ under his breath.

“Why would you want a stag?” asked Maggie. Chris and Matt nodded.

His parents smiled at him. Harry’s stomach churned. His uneasiness had decided to come back. They thought he _wanted_ a stag? He turned his gaze to the table and stared at a small scratch near the orb, trying to ease his upset stomach. He took another breath.

“You don’t understand,” he said. “It _is_ a stag.”

Lily blinked. “You can perform the Patronus Charm?”

Harry nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on the scratch. James was beaming at him.

“Good on you, son,” said James. “You’ve already conquered your worst fear.” But Harry shook his head. 

“It’s not the dementers I fear,” whispered Harry. His eyes faded into a distant memory. “It’s the fear they force me to face that I dread.” Harry gripped the armrests again. The silence at the table was unnerving. 

Lily breathed. “Mine’s a doe.”

James gave Harry a half-smile. “Stag as well.”

“A lion,” said Chris. His hair went gray and everyone erupted into laughter. Harry wondered if his random idea involving a purple duck had anything to do with it.

Maggie was shaking her head. “Maybe a fox.”

Smiling to her left, Matt was staring at Harry in awe. “I would like a bird,” he said. “Like an albatross or a raven.”

He gestured for Harry to have his question. Harry relaxed, finally having control of the situation. He remembered Matt saying something about Star Wars and went with it.

“Favourite movie?” he asked.

Turns out, the Potters were big moviegoers and they all had different opinions. Lily liked _Gone with the Wind_. _Star Wars_ was Matt’s favourite.  Maggie liked _Edward Scissorhands._ James enjoyed _Silence of the Lambs_ and Chris proclaimed that _Forrest Gump_ was the best movie in existence.

Harry didn’t recognise any of these films, but pretended that he did. He smiled on his turn. There was only one film he had watched all the way through. Harry had seen it alone at the local cinema on the holidays before his fourth year. 

“I enjoyed _The Lion King_ ,” said Harry. He received positive nods from the family.

It was now Lily’s turn. “Okay,” she said. “Biggest achievement to date!”

Harry went rigid. His stomach began to rise to his throat. Achievement? Does not dying count as an achievement? James was thinking and smiled when he came to a conclusion and he ruffled his hair in embarrassment.

“Lots of things,” said James. “But, you kids are probably at the top of the list.” 

Chris hung his head while Maggie rolled her eyes and Matt sighed. Harry remained silent. He was more touched by the sentence than what anyone in the room could know. The weight of James’s words appeared lost in this dimension, except to James himself.

Chris smiled. “Quidditch cup. Fourth year.” Everyone nodded.

“My award for services to the school,” said Maggie. The orb went white and she pursed her lips. “After I started the Know Your Werewolves campaign.” It went yellow. 

Matt blushed. “Winning the duel club tournament.” 

Everyone looked at Harry. He was sweating through his shirt. His heart was racing. His stomach, churning. He did not want these people to know _anything_. What could he say that didn’t involve being The Chosen One? Quidditch? No, that was a lie… what could he say?

James’s eyes went wide “Are you okay? Harry!”

But Harry wasn’t listening. He was shaking. Images he couldn’t talk speak invaded every crevice of his mind and forced his stomach to rise…

“Foppy!” cried Harry, unsure how he came to this conclusion. “I think I’m going to be…”

_Crack!_

Harry appeared in front of a toilet bowl just before his stomach retched. The strong flavor of curry flooding into his mouth and escaping out of him. Harry held the brim with one hand and his constricting stomach with the other. A small hand rubbed Harry’s back.

“No more curry’s for Master Harry?” said Foppy. Harry nodded. “Shall Foppy collect Master James?” Harry nodded again.

 _Crack!_  

Harry retched, this time tasting acidic bile. He hadn’t eaten something so thick in months. The last decent meal he had was some stew Aberforth gave him before the battle. Harry never counted hospital food as food and before they got to Shell Cottage it was nothing but mushrooms for months. 

Guess his stomach liked being empty. 

_Crack!_

A larger hand massaged Harry’s lower back. Harry could feel sympathy vibrating off it. 

“Dinner not agree with you?” It was James. Harry nodded, sweat trickling down his face, he retched again.

“Easy... Some diet you’ve been on, huh?”

The man had no idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whelp. There it is.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments section. :)
> 
> The next chapter is sorta done. Just going through editing so you guys won't be waiting that long.


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